• To the People of Jersey, from the Crew of Jersey Clipper[Read]
  
  
• Thank you for a fantastic welcome! 22 Sept.
  
  The leg 6 crew of Jersey Clipper would like to thank the many hundreds of people who turned out to either Noirmont Point, the St. Helier harbour pierheads or on the pontoon to welcome us into Jersey after our crossing of the Atlantic, and for many of us, our circumnavigation of the world. We had expected a warm welcome, but were completely amazed by just how many people came to see us in. Race 15 was a difficult one in many ways, whether because of the delayed start, uncertainty of where the finish would be, or because of the difficult sailing conditions. All the time we were at sea, we were spurred on in by the knowledge that thousands of people were with us in spirit and were willing us on.
  
  Thanks again, we hope you've enjoyed following our fortunes in the race so far and will continue to follow us during the final sprint up to Liverpool. We will be working hard to gain the extra points we need to regain first place overall.
  
  
• Jersey Clipper Snippet 21 Sept.[Read]
  
  
• Jersey Clipper Snippet 20 Sept.[Read]
  
  
• Jersey Clipper Snippet 19 Sept.[Read]
  
  
• Jersey Clipper Snippet 18 Sept.[Read]
  
  
• A different race
  The latest diary from Tracey .[Read]
  
  
• Jersey Clipper Snippet 17 Sept.[Read]
  
  
• My Fantastic Day
  Tracey describes a fantastic day.[Read]
  
  
• Jersey Clipper Snippet 16 Sept.[Read]
  
  
• It's all heating up out here!
  Howie gives us an insite into the race tactics .[Read]
  
  
• Jersey Clipper Snippet 15 Sept.[Read]
  
  
  
• Jersey Clipper Snippet 14 Sept.[Read]
  
  
  
• Paper-Scissors-Stone and a starring competition
  Marcus 'Hairbrush' describes off watch entertainment .[Read]
  
  
  
• Jersey Clipper Snippet 13 Sept.[Read]
  
  
  
• Jersey Here We Come
  Tracey now fully restored to health reports on the New York stopover and the start of the race to Jersey..[Read]
  
  
  
• Motoring to Halifax
  The latest diary from the crew as they motor to Halifax.[Read]
  
  
  
• Race due to restart Today
  The latest news is that the fleet will be leaving New York at 1500 local time, to motor sail to Halifax in Nova Scotia, from where they will race to Jersey. The crew are frustrated by the delay and glad to be underway again.
  
  
  
  
• Race delay
  The race to Jersey has been further delayed till at least Friday beacuse of the threat of a hurricane.
  
  
  
• We don't do seconds!
  Words of encouragement to the Jersey crew from the island's Governor Sir John Cheshire.[Read]
  
  
  
• The Jersey Party
  The Stopover section now contains more details of the Jersey party, including a link to the booking form
  
  
  
• Jersey's round the worlders (Wednesday 20th August) [Read]
  Howie finially finishes his diary from 11th August
  
  
  
• Thoughts of home (Wednesday 20th August) [Read]
  Maggi reflects on the impending end of the race
  
  
  
• Foodstarts to run low(Tuesday 19th August) [Read]
  Marcus describes how the crew decide who they will eat first!!!
  
  
  
• Ian gets his breath back (Tuesday 19th August) [Read]
  What a difference a few days makes by Tracey
  
  
  
• Counting the miles(Saturday 16th August) [Read]
  Ian describes the stresses of waiting for the twice daily radio skeds.
  
  
  
• Jersey Clipper Snippet(Wednesday 13th August) [Read]
  News snippet 1615GMT
  
  
  
• Marcus F gets a nickname (Tuesday 12th August) [Read]
  Marcus tells of hopes and dreams onbaord Jersey
  
  
  
• Jersey Clipper Snippet (Monday 11th August) [Read]
  News snippet from Tracey 1630GMT
  
  
  
• Tracey ties the knot! (Sunday 10th August) [Read]
  
  
  
• Jersey Clipper Snippet (Sunday 10th August) [Read]
  News snippet from Tracey 1800GMT,1500local
  
  
  
• Sunrise and Sutset (Sunday 10th August) [Read]
  Tracey reminds of the routine of life on Jersey
  
  
  
• New diary from Gareth (Friday 9th August) [Read]
  Jersey has made it through the ITCZ
  
  
  
• Club Class(Sunday 3rdAugust)
  Fred de la Perrelle describes the delights of Jersey'sclub class accomodation[Read]
  
  
  
• Equator Day (Sunday 3rdAugust)
  The lastest visit to King Neptune's Court by Howard [Read]
  
  
  
• Calling all Clipper Crews (Monday 4th August)
  Details of a reunion of all pastclipper crews[Read]
  
  
  
• Equator Crossing (Sunday 3rd August)
  A quick note from Simon with news of the equator crossing [Read]
  
  
  
• A Busy Night(Saturday 2nd August)
  Tracey tells of a busy night on 'standby' [Read]
  
  
  
• Occupant of Number 10 makes admission (Friday 1st August)
  The first diary from new legger Richard Clark [Read]
  
  
  
• Letter from Sir John Cheshire (Thursday 31st July)
  Tracey has reproduces a letter from Sir John Cheshire to the Jersey Clipper Crew [Read]
  
  
  
• News from Tracey (Thursday 31st July)
  Tracey describes the stopover in Salvador and settling back into the routine at sea. [Read]
  
  
  
• The First 24 hours at sea (Wednesday 30th July)
  Another diary from Marcus in which he describes his first 24 at sea [Read]
  
  
  
• Website changes hands (Friday 26thJuly)
  Helen Barker takes over the website (wish me luck! it is going to be a hard act to follow)[Read]
  
  
  
• Marcus joins Jersey(Thursday24thJuly)
  Marcus F reflects on joining Jersey.[Read]
  
  
  
• Marcusflys in(Thursday24thJuly)
  Marcus F meets the crew in San Salvador.[Read]
  
  
  
• Nearly at Salvador (Thursday 17th July)
  Tracey tells of the final days into Salvador. [Read]
  
  
  
• Decisions, decisions! (Tuesday 15July)
  Martin Cavey explains the 'getting up' routine on Jersey Clipper. [Read]
  
  
  
• I don't want to get off (Monday 14July)
  In her latest diary, Nadia reports that despite looking forward to a good night's sleep, she's not going to want to get off the boat when it arrives in Salvador.
  
  
  
• 48 hours of sewing later...(Sunday 13 July)
  Howard Russell updates us on the spinnaker damage. [Read]
  
  
  
• Seven ages of kite (Saturday 12 July)
  Simon Rowell, in his own inimitable style, gives us the history of our much loved and much repaired medium weight spinnaker. [Read]
  
  
  
• 8th place and Ian's philosophical (Wednesday 9 July)
  Ian Baird shares his feelings at being at the wrong end of the fleet again. [Read]
  
  
  
• 100 diaries and 360 degrees later... (Tuesday 8 July)
  We've received two diaries today, and although they are about the same subject - sailing 360 degrees around the world - they are from two different angles - that of a round-the-worlder, Howie, and that of a not quite round-the-worlder, Marcus. Tracey is apparently "chuffed to bits" at completing the 360!
  
  
  
• Cocktail party! (Monday 7 July)
  Simon reports that a sundown cocktail party was required to lift the spirits of the crew, and a sacrifice to King Neptune was required to get the boat moving again! [Read]
  
  
  
• Jersey stopover dates changed! (Tuesday 8 July)
  Following talks between the Jersey Clipper Committee and Clipper Ventures it has been agreed that the start of the final race - from Jersey to Liverpool - will now take place on the evening of Tuesday 23 September, probably between 1800 and 1830. This will enable the re-start to coincide with high water, so allowing the Clipper fleet to parade close to shore. The timing will also enable spectators to come and view the re-start after work, and for boat-owners to get their boats out of the marinas to watch the start. Discussions have also begun with Channel Television to see if we can get live coverage of the start.
  
  
  
• Stuck in a wind hole (Monday 7 July)
  Nadia writes again, this time to explain why Jersey has dropped to last place! But as the Jersey Clipper motto now goes, "it ain't over until the fat lady sings." [Read]
  
  
  
• Favourite things (Sunday 6 July)
  A glassy sea and a day on mother watch allows Nadia Miller to write to us about how she's finding life onboard Jersey Clipper. [Read]
  
  
  
• Monotony! (Saturday 5 July)
  Chris de Glanville explains the watch system. [Read]
  
  
  
• Double Dutch (Saturday 5 July)
  Shock, horror... Frank has written a diary. But, to the delight of his countrymen and to the frustration of the rest of us, he's written it in Dutch. [Read]
  
  
  
• Don't give up the day job! (Saturday 5 July)
  Things are clearly getting to Tracey who has started to produce 'poetry'. [Read]
  
  
  
• Magic photos (Friday 4 July)
  The photos from race 12 (Mauritius to Cape Town) have arrived, and they're the best set yet - lots of good portrait shots of individual crewmembers. Click here to view
  
  
  
• Miles for your money (Friday 4 July)
  Howie reports from the South Atlantic that, for a change, we're sailing a shorter route than the other boats. [Read]
  
  
  
• Sea Change (Thursday 3 July)
  Looking for an interesting book to read? Want an insight into what life on board is really like? One of the round the world crew of London Clipper in the Times Clipper 2000 Round The World Yacht Race has written a book about his experiences over the 12 months at sea. 'Sea Change' by Ian Dickens is available from Amazon.co.uk, 11.89 plus p&p. The book features a forward by polar explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
  
  Twenty-one years of corporate life had looked after Ian Dickens pretty well. So why on earth did he give it all up and head off around the world on an ocean racing yacht for 11 months? The tale he has to tell is one of adventure as he battled against everything the sea could throw at him; of a struggle to maintain fragile relationships worn thin by the stresses of the wild ocean; and of how the hearbreak of being separated from a precious family was offset by the vigorous joy of following one's dreams to their conclusion. This is a story that shows the beauty of the planet we share and Ian Dickens' faith in human nature.
  
  
  
• Tecquila, it makes us happy (Thursday 3 July)
  Chris de Glanville describes the first few days of race 13 and recaps a little of the Cape Town stopover. [Read]
  
  
  
• Dolphin show (Tuesday 1 July)
  Tracey's latest email tells of the race start.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Hard life, being Belgian (Monday 30 June) This little snippet was received from Simon this morning: Stoker (on bow, trimming) to Frankie (at helm): "You're off the wind" Frankie to Jane (doing her watchleader thing and standing behind him): "What does that mean?" Jane to Frankie: "It means you're not on it" And no wonder the poor boy's confused by English...!

  
  
  
  
• The joys of Cape Town (Sunday 29 June)
  A very cheerful Ian 'Stoker' Baird has sent us a great diary, recapping on events since Hong Kong and particularly the Mauritius and Cape Town stopovers. He also plays down his scary moment! [Read]
  
  
  
• Photos (Sunday 29 June)
  Some of the best photos from recent races are now on the home page. A different photo will display each time you visit (or press your 'refresh' button in your web browser if you want to cycle through the pictures). The photos of the race from Mauritius to Cape Town are on their way back to the UK so we should have them on the site by next weekend.
  
  
  
• What a race it was (Thursday 26 June)
  From the comfort of dry land, Howie fills us in on the ups and downs of the race from Mauritius to Cape Town, and the delights that awaited them on arrival. [Read]
  
  
  
• Wildlife update (Friday 20 June)
  Marcus Liddiard manages to resist the lure of his cosy bunk long enough to write to us with an update on the wildlife that the crew have spotted since Hawaii. [Read]
  
  
  
• Announcing the Jersey Corporate Regatta (Friday 20 June)
  Following in the tradition of the Times Clipper 2000 stopover, we have again organised a corporate regatta to be held on Sunday 21 September 2003. Formula 1 Sailing will be bringing over their fleet of Sydney 40 yachts, which are available to charter for the day by teams of 10. A full package is available including top quality food and drink (provided by Jersey Potteries), branding for the boats, branded crew clothing, photography and a prizegiving at the famous Clipper party together with the crews of the 8 Clipper yachts and their families. Several of the boats have already been booked - why not enter a team for your company? Click here for full details.
  
  
  
• Thank you HSBC (Thursday 19 June)
  A big thank you to HSBC, who have just agreed to make a 2,000 donation to our Education programme - specifically to sponsor the Jersey primary and secondary schools to design a series of banners which will decorate St. Helier harbour during the Clipper stopover in September. HSBC were already a 'shareholder' in Jersey Clipper, having contributed towards the cost of Jersey's entry in the race. On behalf of Jersey Clipper and the schools, thanks HSBC!
  
  
  
• Race 11 photos (Thursday 19 June)
  329 photos taken during the stopover at Batam Island and during the race from Batam to Mauritius, and of the Mauritius stopover are now available in the gallery. Click here to view.
  
  
  
• In the lead (Thursday 19 June)
  Today's 1500 GMT radio schedule and subsequent updating of the Clipper web site with the latest 'scores on the doors' was anxiously awaited by all the Jersey supporters. Most of us had a feeling that Jersey would have edged into the lead during the day. Indeed they had, albeit only by 0.8 miles. But it was enough cause for celebration and so Thursday evening saw Robin, Helen, Kerry, Fred and Marcus gather at St. Helier Yacht Club for a few beers and a chance to listen to Kerry's stories from leg 4.
  
  
  
• Better late than never (Wednesday 18 June)
  It was only by accident, after emailing the boat to complain that we'd not heard anything from Ian 'Stokes' Baird for a while (and were wondering if he was still on board) that we discovered that at the end of the last race, a diary had been written by Ian but never received by us here in Jersey. Not only that, but its a good one and tells the tale of our badly damaged medium-weight spinnaker on the approach to Mauritius. [Read]
  
  
  
• Congratulations to Pierre Horsfall CBE (Wednesday 18 June)
  The Jersey entry into the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race in 2000 and again in 2003 is the result of a huge effort by a group of volunteers who believe that involvement in the race is good for the island. The committee fund raised for the entry fee, support the crew, arrange publicity and plan the Jersey stopover.
  
  On Saturday the Chairman of the committee, ex-Senator Pierre Horsfall was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to the Jersey community. Pierre was previously an OBE. Congratulations from all the Jersey Clipper crew, committee, and supporters.
  
  
  
  
  
• What to wear? (Tuesday 17 June)
  In Chris de Glanville's diary today he shares with us the difficult question of what to wear on deck.
  
  
  
• Hard work producing results (Sunday 15 and Monday 16 June)
  In Tracey's latest diary you can really feel that the crew are on a high, their jump from 6th place to 2nd in 12 hours really making a massive difference to morale onboard and making all that hard work feel worthwhile. We also received an e-mail from Nadia today.
  
  
  
• Stopover planning in full swing (Thursday 12 June)
  While our valiant crew battles it out on the high seas, back here in Jersey Clipper's home port we're busy planning the visit of the fleet from 19-24 September, less than 100 days from now. The crew party on the Sunday night is the centrepiece, and it is going to have a great theme which we're sure the crews will enjoy. Also, we've realised that it is the Campaign for Real Ale's beer festival that weekend, so that should add to the fun. We're also working on a car hire deal, land-based fun and games, and planning a Vin d'Honneur for the Saturday afternoon.
  
  On the Wednesday when the crews set out on their final race - the sprint up to Liverpool - we expect hundreds of local boats to be on the water to see them off, and if you're friends or family of a crewmember and want to round off your week's holiday in Jersey with a treat then this is for you... in conjunction with Sensation Yacht Charters we're offering a chance to watch the race start aboard a luxury 60ft Sunseeker motor yacht, and once the race is underway to follow the fleet up to Guernsey, then across to the beautiful island of Herm to take a 3-course lunch in the restaurant before returning to Jersey. For details of this offer, and the stopover in general please visit our Stopover section. Have you booked your accomodation yet?
  
  
  
• Impressions of a 'come back kid' (Tuesday 10 June)
  Bristol, at the front of the pack is currently complaining of 45 knot winds whereas somewhere near the back of the fleet, Jersey is clearly still on a sufficiently even keel that crew are happy to spend the time below deck in the navigation station composing emails. Our third in two days is from Chris de Glanville, who was part of the crew for leg 1 (Liverpool, Portugal, Cuba) and is now back for a second helping on the Mauritius-Cape Town-Salvador run. [Read]
  
  
  
• Not where we want to be (Monday 9 June)
  As Jersey Clipper languishes in a wind hole at the back of the fleet, somewhere between Reunion Island and Mauritius, Howie Russell has written an exclusive diary for Jersey Clipper supporters giving a feel for just how badly it hurts to be at the wrong end of the fleet, and how little can often be done about it. But, to brighten our spirits his e-mail came packaged with one from seemingly ever-cheerful Nadia, who sounds like she's having a whale of a time and enjoying every minute of the experience.
  
  
  
• From somewhere off Reunion Island (Saturday 7 June)
  Our first diary from onboard Jersey Clipper on Race 11 comes from Gareth Rigby, who brings us up to date on the recent crew swapover and their time in Mauritius. [Read]
  
  
  
• Ready for the off (Thursday 5 June)
  Chris de Glanville took time out from preparing the boat, and sampling the local nightlife, to send us this message from Mauritius.
  
  
  
• Photos now in the gallery (Sunday 1 June)
  Over 2,500 photos taken by the crew of Jersey Clipper are now on display in the gallery. There are so many that more work needs to be done to categorise the pictures and show just the best ones. We will also be adding a search facility to show just pictures of individual crewmembers, pictures of the stopovers vs. at sea and to caption as many of the photos as possible. This will happen over the next couple of weeks, in the meantime we hope you enjoy the images and that the load time isn't too slow. (More improvements for people with slow connections to the Internet will follow shortly).
  
  
  
• Martin and Nadia get ready (Thursday 29 May)
  Jerseyman Martin Cavey is flying out to Mauritius tomorrow to join the crew of Jersey Clipper for the next leg to Cape Town and onward to Salvador (Brazil). It is going to be interesting to see how the crew manages to cope with a fussy eater on board - Martin, who is being sponsored to take part in the race by his employers UBS refuses to eat any vegetables other than potatoes!
  
  Read about Martin's preparations for the race.
  
  For our supporters based in Jersey, Martin has been interviewed this week by Eric Blakeley so keep an eye out on the Channel Television news for the interview, which is due to be screened on Friday or Monday evening.
  
  Another UBS employee, Jersey girl Nadia Miller also flies out on Friday to join the crew. We have heard that the male members of the Clipper fleet are eagerly anticipating the arrival of beach babe Nadia, pictured here with crewmates Marcus Ferbrache (left) and Robin Fitzgerald (right). The photo was taken at St. Helier Yacht Club just 21 hours before Nadia was due to fly out, but she hadn't packed yet!
  
  The third crewmember joining in Mauritius is Chris de Glanville, who was also part of the crew for leg 1. See below for the message we received from Chris on Wednesday 21 May.
  
  
  
• Photos arrive (Friday 23 May)
  They're here! 2,433 photos have arrived! Needless to say, there are a few good ones! They'll take some sorting, but you'll see the best of them here in just a few days. For those who cannot wait that long, Clipper Ventures have also just received some photos and you can see 36 of them (of race 10 Hong Kong to Batam Island) and you can find these on the Clipper Ventures site - click the 'Photos' link and then click 'Jersey' in the left-hand menu.
  
  
  
• Photos on the way! (Wednesday 21 May)
  We have been reliably informed that the long-awaited photos from race 3,4,5,6,7,8, and 10 are in the post! Practical problems have kept them from us until now. We should have them up on the site some time next week, once they've been sorted and we've decided how best to display them. We will take into account feedback from Jersey Clipper supporters who reported that the pictures in the existing gallery are too slow to load. Helen Barker took over 1,200 photos during leg 2, and we hope to include the best of them here also in the next week or two. Robin Fitzgerald has also offered his photos from leg 4 so we'll be spoilt for choice!
  
  
  
• Getting windier / news from Oz / email from Chris (Wednesday 21 May)
  Today we received a chatty email from round-the-worlder Tracey and also an email from Julie Moore, who you may remember was onboard for leg 2 but fell ill and had to return to the UK for an emergency operation. Unfortunately, problems with her subsequent insurance claim mean that she's unlikely to be able to rejoin Jersey Clipper for a remaining part of the race, which is a real shame. But she's making the best of it: "I am still in Oz and travelling around in a VW Kombi van with a mad hope of circumnavigting this vast land - quite frankly sailing around the world may have been less arduous or indeed expensive. However, I do have beer, wine, gin, etc!" Most of Julie's email is (typically) unprintable, but she goes on to say: "Anyhow, I'm mighty impressed with your accomplishments to date - obviously nothing to do with that over-worked, mouthy bunch of landlubbers (nor indeed anything to do with your helming Simon!) but sheer luck. Keep it up! Until I turn up at some port waving madly, I wish you and all the deranged/dirty people aboard Jersey a safe and happy passage, - I miss you all dreadfully. With lots of love, Julie. xxx" We miss you too, Jules!
  
  We have also heard from Chris de Glanville, our diarist onboard for leg 1 including the infamous crossing of the Bay of Biscay. Chris is joining the crew again for leg 5: "Have just got back from my last business trip away prior to going off to Mauritius on 30th May, next Friday. So now I can concentrate a little on getting my head back into Clipper racing mode, and do a bit of muscle building exercise in preparation for all that heaving and grinding to come! Yes, I am really looking forward to getting back on Jersey in Port Louis. It has been strange coming away from it all after the excitement of leg 1 and now to be going back and getting stuck in to the rigours of ocean racing again. I'm very happy to be doing leg 5, as it looks an interesting one, (Cape Town will be a highlight I'm sure) and am certainly looking forward to seeing you [Marcus F], Fred, Stephanos and co on the jetty at Salvador, and to regale you all in the bar with tales of heroism and wonderment at sea. I will try to do a diary or two en route and let you know how it feels to be back! See you there!! Chris de G."
  
  
  
• Seagulls are not just a problem in St. Helier (Sunday 18 May)
  Today's diary from Ros Britton shows that even when seagulls stick to their native environment, they're can still be a nuisance! Incidentally, Ros is a real star on Jersey Clipper, having made a nice fluffy fitted flanelette sheet for each bunk. These are keeping the crew cosy on the cold legs of the race, and during the hot legs its much more comfortable to sleep on Ros' sheets than on the sticky vinyl covers of the mattresses! So much of our success in this race can be put down to Ros, and her seamstress skills! Thanks Ros.
  
  
  
• Un jour dans le vie de Valerie (Friday 16 May)
  No doubt much to the delight of her loyal band of supporters back home in the French Alps, Val has given in to Tracey's persuasion and written her first diary since leaving Liverpool in September. What took you so long Val?! The compromise though is that, despite being fluent in English (and Spanish!) she's written it in her mother tongue... but not to worry, for those who were asleep during their French lessons at school, your editor has put his best schoolboy translation skills into practice. French or English, take your pick - its an excellent diary and its a real pleasure to hear from Val.
  
  
  
• DVDs, but a distinct lack of fish (Thursday 15 May)
  Our duo from Jersey law firm Mourants are the diarists today. In 'real life' Tracey works there in IT support and Gareth is an advocate. But on Jersey Clipper, today they're both 'mothers'. Tracey now operates a Singer sewing machine - instead of a Compaq, and Gareth has swapped his briefcase for a tea tray, delivering orange squash to those up on deck sailing the boat. Clearly glad to be back at sea, racing not motoring, and having a real ocean infront of them instead of a sea jam packed with fishing boats, Gareth and Tracey tell of the first 18 hours of race 11. [read]
  
  
  
• Neptune makes another appearance (Sunday 11 May)
  Having been delayed several days at Batam Island waiting for a new part to arrive for Hong Kong Clipper's generator, the fleet are now motoring to the race 11 start line some 4 days away. Crossing the equator again en-route, King Neptune has convened his court for the trial of several Jersey Clipper leggers who have just crossed the Equator for the first time. Howard 'Tintin' Russell reports.
  
  
  
• Liberation Day greetings (Friday 9 May)
  Today we received the following email from Jersey Clipper skipper Simon Rowell, addressed to Pierre Horsfall, chairman of the Jersey Clipper Committee:
  
  "All of us on Jersey Clipper send our thoughts and best wishes to everyone on Jersey for Liberation Day. The Jersey flag is flying from the forestay, the St Helier Yacht Club pennant from the port spreaders and the defaced Red Ensign from the backstay - the fleet and the island of Batam know that Jersey's here! Our thanks as always go to our supporters, friends and families back home - we couldn't do it without you and we will be giving it our all for Jersey Clipper in the coming races. All the very best, Simon"
  
  Here is Pierre Horsfall's reply:
  
  "I was away when your kind message regarding Liberation Day came in. I actually remember the very day and although VERY young at the time it still holds special memories if only the euphoria of the adults. Thank you for the kind thought. Meanwhile, keep up the good work, you are all doing us proud and a great many Islanders follow your every move each day. I look at the ocean weather forecasts and so often understand why you adopt any particular route or strategy. It makes it so much more interesting. My wife and I are hoping to come and meet you when you arrive in New York. Good luck and happy sailing. Pierre Horsfall."
  
  
  
• Slow boat from China (Sunday 27 April)
  With time on their hands as they motor for 5 days to the Nongsa Point Marina and Tuli Beach Resort on Batam island, Tracey has sent us an email and we've had a diary from Ros.
  
  
  
  
  
• Disappointment as race 10 is cut short (Saturday 26 April)
  This morning at 0100 UK time the news came in that the race office had decided that there is was little point in having the crews race the rest of the way to the planned finish line of race 10 due to the continuing light wind conditions. As a result they shortened the course, with all of the fleet crossing the new finish line earlier last night. Jersey finished in 4th place, narrowly behind arch-rivals Bristol, and the crew were convinced that this would have changed by the next radio schedule. It is disappointing that Jersey didn't get the chance to catch up with Bristol, and as a result our lead in the overall race has been reduced by a point to 6 points. Read skipper Simon Rowell's reaction to the news
  
  
  
• Another day, another diary (Friday 25 April)
  Today brings a cheerful email from Tracey, and a promise of the long-awaited photos from Cuba onwards. Read
  
  
  
• Gin and tonic on the foredeck? (Thursday 24 April)
  Emails are coming in from the boat thick and fast (slight exageration... maybe one a day but certainly a welcome increase on previous weeks). The latest is from Kerry Sharman, who joined the crew in Hong Kong for the leg to Mauritius. Very much a family man, Kerry will be as challenged by being away from home for an extended period as he will by the sailing. But Tracey Watson - who is 'mum' to all the newcomers on the boat - reports that Kerry is settling in very nicely. Read his first diary
  
  
  
• Double helping of news (Wednesday 23 April)
  Jersey Clipper newbie Gareth Rigby has sent us his first diary, and he shares with us his first impressions of live aboard the floating sauna. And we have also received news from Howard Russell, who brings us up to date on all the happenings since the Hong Kong stopover. Tracey Watson, who oversees the diary writing onboard, sends her apologies for any similarity between news and London buses!
  
  
  
• What time is it? (Tuesday 22 April)
  Not a cloud in the sky, hardly a breath of wind, sounds good? Ah, forgot to mention baking hot, no shade, and limited showering possibilities! The joys of sailing a sauna, and trying to sleep in one. A brief email from Simon paints the picture.
  
  
  
• Announcing Jersey stopover accommodation deals (Wednesday 16 April)
  Jersey is playing host to the Clipper fleet from September 19-24 when the 8 yachts arrive after their Atlantic crossing. The organising committee in Jersey are busy planning a fantastic programme of activities including the famous party. Our friends at event specialists Delta Conference Systems are working to make sure that this year's party will be even better than the last one during the stopover of the 2000 race.
  
  For most of the families of the leg 6 leggers this will be the first chance to see their loved ones since they left for Brazil two months eariler, and for those supporting round-the-world crew this will be a chance to be reunited after several months apart. We expect many families to come over for a long weekend or week in our lovely island, and have already received quite a few enquiries. Together with our travel agent friends we have put together a selection of special offers on flights and hotels. If you are thinking of coming over and joining in with the race atmosphere, please check out our new area of the web site and drop us a line if you need any help or advice on how to get here, where to stay and what to do.
  
  See our new stopover section for details.
  
  
  
• News roundup (Tuesday 15 April)
  Robin Fitzgerald is now back from Hong Kong and has returned full of enthusiasm from his experience. An interview with him will appear here in the next few days. Apparently Helen Barker is also back from her travels after leg 2 and is about to start her new life as an air traffic controller. Good luck Helen!
  
  Hong Kong was the end of the line for John Jones and Scarlett Mosnier who will be returning to reality. We hope to hear about their experience once they've settled back in at home. Kerry Sharman and Gareth Rigby have now taken up their places on the boat, Kerry for the one leg as far as Mauritius whereas Jersey Clipper is now 'home' for Gareth all the way until the finish. We gave them a good send-off with parties in Jersey and both were excited and a bit apprehensive particularly given the additional 'unknown' factor of the SARS virus and potential quarantine issues. It was great to see Chris de Glanville again, who flew across to be with us for an evening. Many stories were exchanged over a bottle or three of St. Helier Yacht Club's finest wines. Its also the start of a great adventure for Ros Britton and Tony Morgan. We wish them all the very best and hope that they won't be too disappointed in missing out on the San Fernando stopover. It is amazing to think how much the world has changed just since the start of the race in September. In the Times Clipper 2000 race, the fleet left New York just a couple of days before the towers fell. This year, the war began while the crew were at sea, and is now largely over before the boats set sail again.
  
  The word is that The Good Ship Jersey was in good condition as she was lifted from the water in Hong Kong, with the hull being closely inspected and given a good scrub. The sails and other essential equipment on board really took a pounding on the approach to Yokohama and Hong Kong has been an opportunity to have everything looked at before the second half of the race continues. There has been a notable lack of activity on this web site over the last few weeks, as the Jersey crew took a holiday and enjoyed time away from the boat. But things are back in full swing now and we are ready to report the latest news from Jersey Clipper, including the highlights of Hong Kong and how the crew spent their 'holiday'.
  
  
  
• New crew member! (Tuesday 15 April)
  We're delighted to announce that Richard Pallot of Channel Television has been commissioned to film aboard Jersey Clipper during leg 6. Richard will join the crew in New York and sail with us across the Atlantic to Jersey and then on to the finish in Liverpool. Richard is no stranger to Clipper as he was on board the Jersey boat for two of the races in the Times Clipper 2000. A keen follower of the race, Richard was there for the start in Liverpool and has been reporting on the crew's progress during his weekly programme 'Report Sport' including live interviews with Simon Rowell.
  
  Sharing our adventure with our friends and family back home is very important to us and it will be great to have two of our illustrious victories recorded for posterity - first around Noirmont Point and then first across the line at the Albert Dock in Liverpool!! :o) During the 2000 race, Richard was on board for two of the shortest races and spent most of his time with the camera in his hand. However this time he'll be on board for nearly 3 weeks, and Richard is under no illusions - he's going to be very much a working member of the crew and will be allocated to one of the watches. No passengers allowed! You can read more about Richard here. Welcome (back) to Jersey Clipper Richard!
  
  
  
• Almost time to fly out (Friday 4 April)
  As the round the world crew and the leg 3 leggers enjoy their well earned rest in Hong Kong, 3 Jersey crewmembers are doing anything but rest. For Kerry, Gareth and Ros it's been a hectic week of last minute organisation and packing, together with numerous farewell parties. We caught up with Ros Britton and asked her how she's feeling. [Read]
  
  
  
• Green blips (Wednesday 26 March)
  Fog and no wind are presenting new challenges for the crew. Read the latest diary from Tracey.
  
  
  
• Who is John Jones? (Wednesday 26 March)
  John Jones was a fairly last-minute addition to our crew and so not many people had a chance to meet him before he joined the boat in Hawaii. Until today, his biography page has been rather blank. But we've now received some background information on him, which you can read here. Turns out he's well acquainted with our island!
  
  
  
• New search facility (Tuesday 25 March)
  The Jersey Clipper web site now has a new search feature. This can search not only the Jersey Clipper web site, but also the sites of the other 7 clipper crews and the official Clipper Ventures web site. Over 1,650 pages of Clipper information are searchable. Try it out!
  
  
  
• Fish: soon to be endangered species? (Monday 24 March)
  A lack of beer, lack of wind and excess of fishing boats is proving frustrating. Read about the joys of the East China Sea in Howie's latest diary
  
  
  
• Crew shaping up! (Saturday 22 March)
  In his latest email, skipper Simon updates us on how boat and crew are shaping up and how tactics are being played. [Read]
  
  
  
• Tracey's tupperware party (Tuesday 18 March)
  With probably no more than 24 hours of this race to go, it was great to receive an email from Tracey today. Apart from extolling the virtues of plastic tubs, she brings news of a spinnaker halyard breakage and a brief summary of the Japan stopover. [Read]
  
  
  
• No news is good news? (Monday 17 March)
  It seems ages since we last heard from the crew onboard, but this suggests that their 7 day stopover in Japan was action packed and they were probably far too busy to write anything. That is not to say though that the crew didn't have time to read all your messages of goodwill in the guestbook, indeed Scarlett took time to add to it herself with a personal message to all her friends and supporters. No doubt its busy onboard and since the crew are now experiencing much colder weather they'll be heading straight for their bunk and warm sleeping bag when coming off watch, rather than sitting in the navigation station trying to type an email! With a bit of luck we'll hear from them before they reach Shanghai.
  
  For anyone who is suffering major withdrawal symptoms not knowing what's going on out there, check out the latest diary from New York Clipper who appear to have just discovered technology (being the last of the boats to set up a web site), or the latest from Bristol Clipper.
  
  
  
• 48 hours of drama (Saturday 8 March)
  Now comfortably on dry land, Howard Russell takes some time to share with us the drama of the last 48 hours into Yokohama.
  
  
  
• London contingent gathering (Friday 7 March)
  Tonight most of the London-based crew of Jersey Clipper got together to share stories of their experiences on the boat and to commiserate each other on their crewmates having crossed the finish line in Yokohama just 21 minutes after 3rd-place Liverpool. This was the first time that Carol David, Silvia and Richard Harvey had met up since they finished their respective legs of the race, and it was a chance for Ros and Marcus to hear a bit more about what they have let themselves in for! Also making a special appearance was Alan 'Benny' Benstead who is staying in London for a few weeks before returning to Jersey after his 6-month Clipper experience. The Jersey Clipper crew is like one big family, and it was really great to see each other. There are further gatherings planned in Jersey at the end of March, a chance to say goodbye to Kerry Sharman and Gareth Rigby who will soon be heading off to Hong Kong to join the boat.
  
  
  
• Tactics bearing fruit (Friday 7 March)
  We received this email from Tracey this morning.
  
  
  
• Squall watch (Thursday 6 March)
  In her first diary, Maggi explains radar watch and the danger of whales [Read].
  
  
  
• Robin on the radio (Thursday 6 March)
  Robin Fitzgerald is becoming quite the media star. After being interviewed for the JEP and Radio Jersey before he left for Hawaii, he is now keeping BBC Radio Jersey up to date by satellite phone. In an interview yesterday morning he sounded typically perky as he explained the current situation on board and talked about the recent sail damage. Presenter Roger Barra asked him how the crew were coping with living together in such a small area - Robin replied that the crew were all getting on together really well. Roger asked what he was missing most - to which he sensibly answered that he was missing his financee Anna and his family... but also dreaming of a meal that didn't come out of a tin! And then today he is featured with a photo in the Jersey Evening Post!
  
  
  
• Wind forecast for Tuesday 1200 (Monday 3 March)
  The red line on the following charts shows the direct course from Jersey's position at 1500 on Monday to the finish. The purple line shows the direct course for Glasgow, who are now the boat who we need to overtake (Bristol having done very well today and overtaken Glasgow). Glasgow is going to have a better wind angle than us, and more of it. On Wednesday and Thursday though, Jersey should have the advantage so there is still an opportunity for us to catch up and maybe make it into 4th place. (The numbers shown are wave heights in feet - waves from behind us are welcome but less so on the beam)
  
  
  If the order of the boats crossing the finishing line was as it is now then our overall lead would be unaffected, but with London closing the gap to be 3 points behind us, Bristol remaining third but 5 points behind us, and Liverpool still in 4th but 7.5 points behind us. We have 46 miles to catch up in the next 5 days in order to achieve a podium finish - sounds achievable but is it? As we know from previous races, it can all change even in the last few hours of the race!
  
  Reminder: Do not be tempted to email any weather or tactical information to the boats. It is strictly against the rules for the boats to receive any weather information from the Internet or from us - skippers must rely on their weather faxes. Points will be deducted for any transgressors!
  
  These surface wind and wave height charts are computer-generated by the US National Weather Service.
  
  
  
• Pancake-free zone (Saturday 1 March)
  The crew are having to get back used to life heeled over at 30 degrees, generally tiring and particularly awkward for a pre-Lent fryup! Read the latest email from Tracey.
  
  
  
• Sailing along at 0.0 knots (Friday 28 February)
  Its been a frustrating couple of days for the Jersey crew, as you can tell from Howard's latest diary.
  
  
  
• Crew brief (Wednesday 26 February)
  Simon invites you to sit in on the daily crew brief, Marcus Liddiard appears to have acquired a nickname, and find out what the latest fashion is in mastman accessories! [read]
  
  
  
• Wind forecast for Thursday 1200 (Wednesday 26 February)
  According to the charts, winds will be light again for the whole of the fleet during Thursday, however on Friday there should be 25 knots from the NW... but only for the northerly boats. Bristol and Jersey in the south look set to have to face another couple of days of very low distances sailed, with winds of only 10 knots on the beam. However, the 72-hour forecast (for Saturday 1200) shows only light head winds for our friends in the north, whereas the south should bring 20 knot easterlies and the high should continue to favour us for a couple more days beyond that. So, while superficially things have not been looking good for Jersey, favourable currents 'down south' and a new high pressure system taking effect means it looks feasible that the Jersey plan might just work. The question is can we get far enough west and with enough wind to make a charge north and cut off the rest of the fleet just before Yokohama?
  
  Reminder: Do not be tempted to email any weather or tactical information to the boats. It is strictly against the rules for the boats to receive any weather information from the Internet or from us - skippers must rely on their weather faxes. Points will be deducted for any transgressors!
  
  
  
• Email from Tracey (Tuesday 25 February)
  We received another typically chatty email from Tracey today.
  
  
  
• Robin the weatherman (Tuesday 25 February)
  Robin Fitzgerald, who won a place on Jersey Clipper in a Jersey Evening Post competition has been allocated the job of collecting the meteorlogical information onboard. In his first diary, he explains the job and tells us how the crew are not looking forward to the cold weather ahead.
  
  
  
• Wind forecast for Tuesday 1200 (Monday 24 February)
  According to the charts, winds will be light again through Tuesday and should favour the northerly boats with 15 knots from the SW. By midday Wednesday there should be 20-30 knots from the NW, again with more wind for the northerly boats but not in such a favourable direction (right on the nose). Thursday looks like light southerlies, with more wind in the north again! :o(
  
  
  
  
• We have a plan! (Sunday 23 February)
  Simon seems to be swinging between despair and complete confidence in his email this evening. [As it turned out, in the next 12 hours Jersey jumped from last place to 6th, gaining an excellent 65 miles on the lead boats who were 'parked up' to the north, and sailed 4 times further than some of the others over 24 hours!]
  
  
  
• Howard eats his words (Saturday 22 February)
  Howard has been regretting the phrase he used not so long ago "A mile a day keeps Bristol away". But maybe Jersey will have the last laugh in this race? Read Howard's take on tactics.
  
  
  
• Happy birthday Scarlett! (Friday 21 February)
  Scarlett has just celebrated her birthday, the second one on board recently. We heard in Julie's message how Howard celebrated his, but Scarlett's was rather confused by having it just as Jersey Clipper crossed the International Date Line. [Read]
  
  
  
• Julie spills the beans (Thursday 20 February)
  Back on land - for the time being at least - Julie has put a safe enough distance between her and her crewmates to be able to bring us up to date on all the gossip from the Hawaii stopover! What did the crew get up to? [Read]
  
  
  
• Hellos and goodbyes (Thursday 20 February)
  Its been a very busy week on board Jersey Clipper, partly because we are down on crew numbers. With less people to do the work, there is less time to carry out important but non-essential jobs like writing diaries, so back here in Jersey we have all been looking forward to someone having time to send us one. Here it is!
  
  
  
• DIY wind forecasts (Tuesday 18 February)
  
  
  
  
  
  Followers of the race will know that Jersey has currently taken a southerly line, whereas some of the fleet have headed north and some have taken a middle line. Ahead is an area of light winds that may be there for several days - which boats will have wind first and what will the affect on positions be? The Internet is an excellent place to find weather resources, and US government bodies make a wide range of weather information freely available. As the crews cross the North Pacific the surface level wind maps at http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/honomare.shtml#windwave are very useful, with 12/24/48/72 hour forecasts. To access these, right click on the link for the desired forecast and click Save As... to save it onto your computer hard disk. Then open the file, which is a .TIF, in its default associated program and print it out. Its useful to print each of the forecasts, to give an idea how the weather systems are developing. Hawaii is marked as PHNL on the map (Honolulu airport) and Yokohama is near to the point marked as RJAA (Tokyo airport). Draw a line between these two points as the direct route, and the fleet are to the south. The current longitude and latitude of the boats can be found here and drawn onto the chart. Be careful not to mix up North and South, or East and West! If you draw a line around the outside of the area of single wind barbs, this is the area that the fleet would want to avoid. To the north, you will see a low pressure system giving lots of wind but it is north of 30 degrees. Another useful map is the "Pacific Analysis" link at http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/honosfc.shtml#sfcpolar and shows the isobars (the closer together the more wind) and the frontal systems. See http://weather.noaa.gov/graphics/chartref.gif for a key to the symbols. This may be better information than is available to the skippers on board, and it is strictly against the rules for the boats to receive any weather information from the Internet or from us by email so don't be tempted to email the boats.
  
  
  
• Trawling nets and flying pigs (Sunday 16 February)
  So far Jersey have had an enviably good record for gear breakages - managing to keep our spinnakers in nearly-new condition while the rest of the fleet report serious damage. Carefully looking after your sails and rigging can make the difference between winning and losing over the course of the 16 individual races. In today's diary Simon reports damage to two spinnakers, and explains the current tactic of heading further south than the others.
  
  
  
• Goodybye Hawaii! (Wednesday 12 February)
  It's time for the Clipper Crews to wave goodbye to the Hawaiian Islands as they set sail for Japan's second largest city Yokohama and then on to Shanghai and Hong Kong. Over the next couple of days, once the all-important race start has happened and the Jersey crew fall into a familiar routine, we expect to hear from them tales of their time in Hawaii and to see the latest pictures. In the meantime, thanks to everybody who has written a message to the crew in our guestbook. At the last count there are over 540 messages in there so we are well on our way to hit our target of 1000 by the end of the race! While the crew cannot access the Internet while at sea, and therefore do not get to read your messages straight away, once in port they all head for the nearest Internet cafe to log on to the site an read the messages you've left for them. It really does make a difference to the crew to know that people back home are thinking of them, so please continue to write. Certainly Valerie's fans back home in France have been showing their support, with by far the most messages for an individual crew member.
  
  We heard from Julie Moore a few days ago and she had booked her ticket to Hawaii to catch up with the Jersey crew again before they set sail. Once she's waived them off hopefully she'll have a few days much needed rest and relaxation after her recent successful operation.
  
  As Hawaii was a crew change-over port, the leg 2 leggers who sailed the boat from Cuba will be making their way back to England shortly. The now seasoned ocean racing yachtsmen and women returning to resume their normal lives include Carol David Daniel, Richard Harvey, Simeon Paster and Jersey girl Helen Barker. (Helen is actually now off travelling for a few weeks before returning to Jersey to start a new exciting career as an air traffic controller!) Once they've had a few days to settle in back home we hope that these crew will give us the full story of their time aboard.
  
  Jerseyman Robin Fitzgerald, who won a place on the boat in a popularly contested competition in the Jersey Evening Post has now joined the crew. He was interviewed by the newspaper while waiting for his plane at Jersey Airport and seemed very excited but nervous at the start of the biggest adventure of his life. Robin is sure to make himself very useful amongst the crew as a competent sailor and allround good egg. Also joining in Hawaii is John Jones, who only signed up for the race shortly before the start and so few of the crew have met him. Through lack of an email facility he hasn't been in touch so it will be interesting to find out more about him in the coming weeks. Maggi Baines is also now onboard, and though she was originally planning to do only one leg of the race she has now decided to stay on until the finish in Liverpool. She only has limited sailing experience so far, but by the end of the race she will have 24,300 nautical miles of additional sailing experience!! Last but by no means least, our youngest crewmember Scarlett Mosnier steps onboard today. Age 19 this will certainly be a life-changing experience for her and we wish them all the very best of luck.
  
  
  
• Leg 1 and 2 diaries and news
  Archive of news and diaries from mid-way across the Atlantic during leg 1, to Hawaii at the end of leg 2
  
  
  
• Read about the dramatic start of the race in Liverpool back in September, and the first few diaries received from onboard in leg 1
  
  
  
• Training races
  Read about how the crew got on during the series of training races leading up to the race start.
  
  
  
• Read the archive of older news articles

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