Clipper 2002/2003 Race - How's your blood pressure?
09:40, 19 September 2003
by Sarah Beaugeard

With just over six hundred miles to run to Jersey this race is going to keep us on tenterhooks until the bitter end. Last night saw Bristol sneak into the lead once more and then this morning, just to make our cornflakes more exciting, Simon Rowell and his team have clawed back the lost 4 miles and are just a mile in the lead. “That wasn’t supposed to happen” said Binks…sorry Richard but I have a feeling you’ll be back.

Continuing to make good progress towards our green and pleasant land, the fleet have covered just shy of 200 miles in the last 24 hours. Liverpool remains in their all important third place and running down the leader board the fleet positions remain the same.

As we can see from today’s close up position chart, Liverpool and Bristol have sold their soles to the Northerly route and the North/South divide has become more pronounced. The Southerly pack of consisting of Cape Town, Glasgow, Hong Kong and New York have perhaps held onto more wind as they have tightened the gap slightly on the front runners and once again achieved some of the highest runs of the fleet.

Joining the boys in the South, Jersey Clipper has made more of a Southerly course and look committed to that route. Sailing with North / North Westerly winds varying from 8 to 15 knots, Simon reported that they have the spinnaker pole right forward and are shy reaching with their Medium weight spinnaker up. With reports still flooding in of plentiful phosphorescence and the company of pilot whales, even if they have slowed down a little, the sailing is still great out there.

With the heavy winds of the past week abating somewhat, it is with great interest that the crew are listening out for news of Hurricane Isabel who is currently whipping herself up the Eastern Seaboard of the states. This morning as I read more reports of the wonderful wildlife, highest boat speeds, and exciting sail changes from the fleet and watched television pictures of the carnage that Isabel left behind her in the states, it made me remember just what a fine balance of Nature we live with, one minute the winds are your friend and the next, they are the cruellest beast. For now, perhaps the fleet should be happy with their 15 knots..

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