Clipper 2002/2003 Race - East is east
10:30, 17 September 2003
by Tim Hedges

The straight lines of the yacht's tracks as shown on the position charts gives little indication of the amount of activity on board. They are in fact purely the line between the boats 12 hourly positions, and in between the boats may well have slalomed their way across the oceans. Things have certainly been busy onboard over the last 24 hours. The wind may have picked up, but it has been very changeable blowing first one side of west then the other. This has meant constant jybes as the boats endeavour to maintain the best possible course. They have also been going through their sail wardrobes as the wind strength varies between 10 to 25 knots true, lightweight spinnakers being peeled to medium weight, to heavy weight and back again. To add to this a couple of weak frontal troughs have passed over the fleet bringing grey skies and rain. In case the crews had forgotten, the weather is doing its best to remind them that they are returning to northern Europe.

As the fleet get closer to the western approaches and the entrance to the English Channel their tactical options will narrow. As the waters of the Atlantic compress to flow between England and France, producing the tides we know so well, so the fleet will need to select their approach for a gap that is only 20 miles wider than the current north south divide between Bristol and New York. Although the rest of the fleet are continuing to head more or less towards the north east, Jersey is noticeable having aimed almost directly due east. It is interesting to note that the true course towards Jersey is about 083 degrees, or just north of east, despite it seeming almost to the south east of the yachts current positions. This is of course due to the curvature of the earth and the fact that the charts we plot the positions on are Mercator projection, a language harking back to the days of dusty geography textbooks for most, but of daily relevance for the skippers and crews of the Clipper yachts.

The fleet have now split into three distinct groups. The top three of Bristol, Jersey and Liverpool with less than 10 miles between them. The mid field of London, New York and Hong Kong between 30 and 90 miles back from the leader, and then the afterguard of Glasgow and Cape Town over 100 miles further back. This almost guarantees a nail biting finish for the podium positions, with the rest spread out over a longer period. But with over a thousand miles still to go anything could happen over the next few days. Now where have I heard that before?

Source: Clipper 2002/2003 Round The World Race Official Site