For 11 months, this page enabled all the supporters of Jersey Clipper to monitor the crew's progress, including the day's position chart and leaderboard together with a commentary that gave readers the latest insight of life aboard.

Now that the race is over, we are very pleased to feature a review of the whole race, written by one of Jersey Clipper's two fantastic watch leaders, Howard Russell.

Clipper 2002 Round the World Race - Review

After over 35,000 miles, 11 months and 16 races, Jersey Clipper crossed the final finish line, winning the Clipper 2002 Round the World Yacht Race. It was perhaps fitting that the boat that was last out of the Mersey should be the last back in it. Having crossed the finishing line we had dropped the spinnaker and celebrated the end of our voyage. While we drifted, we didn’t notice that the rest of the fleet had dropped their sails and headed down the Mersey. And so despite finishing ahead of most, we were all but last to join the final parade. It mattered not. We knew who had won.

Race 1 – Liverpool to Cascais

While the delay to the start of the race may have protected us from the nasty weather that day, it would not protect us from the storm we found brewing in the Bay of Biscay. As we left the dock that Monday I think few of us really knew what lay ahead of us.

Second across the line, but last out of the Mersey thanks to an early equipment failure. It wasn’t until the darker days in the Bay of Biscay that we took the lead for the first time. As we beat for several days through the swell and rain, many of the crew suffered with sea-sickness. At the penultimate radio schedule Jersey were in the lead, with HK close behind, but somewhere off to the west. They were hidden from view by the sunset, and then as dusk fell their failure to use their navigation lights meant that as they slipped ahead we never noticed. They turned their lights on a mile from the finish line, but by then they were too far ahead. Their subsequent fine would have levelled the points, however Jersey was also fined one point for the sinking of our sewing machine.

The celebration of our first crossing and our first pennant, were short-lived. JB, the skipper, was given an official warning and with 24 hours until the start of the second race, he resigned. There have been many things said about why he left, and I think it wisest to describe it for what it really was, a difference of opinion.

Race 2 - Cascais, Portugal to Havana, Cuba

With less than an hour to go before the start of race 2, our replacement skipper stepped on board. Ed Green had been Skipper of Glasgow Clipper on the 2000 race. He had also run the Clipper training in Villamoura and as such had met many of the crew there. However for those of us who had not met him, it was slightly surreal to shake hands with someone for the first time, momentarily before being told to cast off the mooring lines as we started out on an expected 26 day crossing. Ed had been drinking in a pub in deepest darkest Wales the day before. While he had his mobile with him, there was no reception inside. However as luck would have it, he needed to post a letter, and as he walked to the top of the road to post it, his mobile picked up a reception, it rang and he was on his way to Portugal.

Ed’s plan was simple (and it set a trend that we emulated many times in other races): Be the furthest boat south. And so as the rest of the fleet began to turn west and head for Cuba, we went further and further south. Initially we lost miles to the rest of the fleet as they sailed a more direct route, however we steadily overhauled the back markers, and as we sailed out of the Old Bahama Channel, with just less than a day to go until Havana, we were neck and neck with third and fourth placed London and Hong Kong. We held onto the spinnaker throughout a very squally night, and when dawn broke the other two were nowhere to be seen. Jersey eventually drifted across the finish line to take a very important 3^rd place. We had sailed many more miles than every other boat, but had done so with style.

Race 3 - Havana, Cuba to Colon, Panama

Our third race and our third skipper. When Simon Rowell had met us on our arrival into Cuba, he assured us that this was not to become a trend. Another veteran of the 2000 Race, Simon had joined Leeds Clipper in San Fernando, Philippines after their Skipper had resigned. Sound familiar? Despite doing much of the Clipper training, he had decided that he still had unfinished business with the race.

Simon made an immediate impact on the crew and the race. We were first out of the marina, first across the start line and as we paralleled the coast of Cuba, the fleet trailed in our wake. Throughout the first few days, various boats challenged our lead, none more so than Liverpool. With a good eye on the weather forecasts Simon decided to take us east of the rhumb line, a tactic that paid great dividend when the wind backed around to the south and then east, and the fleet was headed and had to beat around the only waypoint. Once round the waypoint, we headed straight for Panama and our first gold pennant.

After a day in the aptly named city of Colon, we began our transit through the Panama Canal. I believe the sheer size of the locks and the canal left us all awe-inspired. That and the size of the cargo ships with which we shared the locks. You wouldn’t want to get any close than we did. Christmas was celebrated in Panama City. I can think of nicer places to be, and I don’t think many of us were disappointed to leave.

Race 4 - Panama City to Galapagos Islands

After starting in a light breeze, the wind strength built throughout the first night. While we headed further south than most, we must have held onto our spinnaker longer than the rest, so that as morning broke, despite our less direct route, we were in the lead again.

We were soon to experience the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), or doldrums, for the first time. Simon’s weather research prior to the start served us well. The majority of the fleet sailed directly at the Galapagos, and were caught in a relatively wide part of the doldrums. Our position to the east of the fleet allowed us to cross at a relatively narrow point, and we sat windless for a matter of hours rather than days. Having lost precious little time in the transition from the NE trades to the SE trades, we rounded the only waypoint (Darwin’s Gate) and arrived at the magical islands to claim our second consecutive first place.

Race 5 – Galapagos Islands to Hawaii

Having led since the start of the race and been out of sight of the rest of the fleet for a couple of weeks, we were only 24 hours from Honolulu when we spotted Bristol off our port quarter. There were two routes to the finish line, one through what was dubbed Long Island Ice Tea Channel (between the islands of Maui and the Big Island) and the other Strawberry Daiquiri (between Oahu and Molokai). Simon had always planned to take the former, and while it was clear from Bristol’s course they were heading for the other, we decided not to cover them, but keep to the original plan.

At the following radio schedule we were only 50 miles from the finish, and so it was likely that whoever was in the lead at that point would win. Bristol’s skipper (Binks) was running the radio schedule and so when prompted, Simon read out our position and Distance To Go. We as yet did not know theirs. When Binks read our numbers back, we knew from the cheering behind him, all that we needed to.

Jersey had been joint first with New York on leg 1. We had taken 22 from a possible 24 points in leg 2. Until then Bristol’s inconsistency had left them trailing. However with that victory, Bristol firmly established themselves as our main competitors. And what a competition it turned out to be.

Race 6 – Hawaii to Yokahama, Japan

A very poor start left Jersey trailing from the outset. It was a position we were only to partly recover from. Bristol and Jersey opted to keep south of the high-pressure systems and only head north at the last possible moment. The remainder of the fleet took the rhumb line from relatively early on. While the two of us lost miles to the fleet to begin with, as the rest of the fleet had to beat into bad weather for the last few days we made good ground.

With a day to go, we left the winds of the high-pressure system and were propelled at Japan by a growing depression. It was here that we clocked our highest boat speeds of the trip, surfing down sizeable swells. With third placed Liverpool in our sights just a mile ahead, the wind veered more and we were forced to beat the last few miles into Yokohama. We had damaged and broken more equipment and sails on this race than on the rest combined, and it was adding insult to injury when we were forced to slice our only remaining headsail halyard, miles from the line. As it was, fourth place was arguably a good result for a boat that had spent much of its time in last position.

Race 7 – Yokohama, Japan to Shanghai, China

A short race that was remarkable if for perhaps two reasons: the vast numbers of fishing boats and nets we encountered and zig-zagged our way through; and the fact that the fleet never actually made it to Shanghai. The marina in which we were to stay had not been completed. With no other safe mooring available in the Yangtze River, the fleet anchored in the lee of some islands off the mainland. Glasgow had won the race, with Jersey taking second place.

Race 8 – Shanghai, China to Hong Kong

Not only did fishing boats surround our anchorage, but as we headed south we encountered more and more fishing fleets. There were often fishing boats in every direction, as far as the eye could see. In fact there was rarely a time when we had the sea to ourselves. To a certain extent, it was the Clipper that had to alter course least to avoid the fishing fleet, gained the advantage.

Having gained an early lead during the first night, Jersey was holding her competitors at bay, until one night, while dodging through yet another fishing fleet, Bristol drew level. With their navigation lights mixed in with those of the fishing fleets, we had not seen them approaching. There started a classic duel, and over the next couple of days the lead changed hands regularly. The light winds meant that we were always in close proximity and it was easy to see exactly what was happening on either boat. Slowly they began to pull away, and once a lead was established, we failed to make inroads.

Despite the calm weather, the scariest moment of the race occurred in light winds in the Taiwan straits. With heavy fog the visibility was severely restricted. We could hear the fog horn of a cargo ship and were closely monitoring it on radar. However as it got nearer it was clear that it was not going to turn for a radar echo as small as ours (if indeed they ever saw it). The engine had been turned on as a precaution, however as the cargo ship loomed out of the fog, it was engaged and we turned sharply around, heading back where we had come from. Thankfully we had the wind-seeker up at the time, so there was no damage to equipment. Just to people’s nerves.

Although the wind filled in as soon as the cargo ship had passed, we were unable to catch Bristol, and Jersey finished second.

Race 9 – Hong Kong to San Fernando, Philippines

Cancelled due to SARS, and hence we raced direct to Singapore.

Race 10 – Hong Kong to Singapore

I doubt if there has ever been a start quite like this to a yacht race. Moments after the starting gun fired the wind entirely disappeared. Very quickly Jersey drifted down onto Bristol heading as if to ram her amidships. While we were fending each other off, Glasgow came to join in, and to complete the third side of a very strange looking triangle.

The wind was consistently light and from dead astern. The race was structured to include several waypoints intended to take us down parallel to the Philippine coastline (and avoid a lot of poorly charted waters). Each time we rounded a waypoint and altered course the wind would shift accordingly. The first four boats were separated by only a handful of miles, but it was enough to leave Jersey in fourth place.

Race 11 – Singapore to Mauritius

If the sail makers of Port Philip had known what lay ahead of us, they would have ordered more stores and then taken a few weeks of rest ahead of our arrival. Having looked after our spinnakers relatively well up to this point, we made up for lost time. The medium weight spinnaker was twice blown out and run over. The second occasion only hours after the first repair was finished.

The inconsistency of the weather and the omnipresent squalls made this a demanding and tiring race in its own right. But add onto that, the time and energy devouted to sail repairs, and it was little wonder we were left lagging. Just when it seemed our luck had changed and we could see the leaders caught in a wind hole ahead, we found our very own and watched them sail away again. In a very close finish to the race, Jersey finished fourth, only just ahead of New York and Glasgow.

Race 11 – Mauritius to Cape Town

Quite simply, this was the most exciting race of the trip. Two days out of Mauritius, having sailed into a wind hole, Jersey and Hong Kong were lagging the rest of the fleet by well over 100 miles. Yet by the time Jersey reached the east coast of Africa several days later, we were only 3 miles behind the leader, Bristol. The two yachts screamed down the coast, aided by the Agulhas current and some good tail winds.

Except for a couple of short periods, the yachts were within sight of each other until the finish. Having eaten away Bristol’s lead, the two boats raced neck and neck for at least a day. As the yachts rounded Cape Agulhas, Africa’s southern most point, Jersey stole the lead for the first time. However as we approached the Cape of Good Hope the boats were again neck and neck, and not until Bristol crossed the finishing line was anyone certain who would win. Having come from so far behind it was disappointing not to have held onto the lead. However we could all remember that when we stuck in a wind hole east of Madagascar, we would have bitten off the hand that offered second place.

Race 12 – Cape Town to Salvador

When you are accustomed to finishing in the top few, what difference does it make if you finish seventh or eighth? A great start to the race was quickly turned to nothing as Jersey sailed into a high-pressure system. Boats only a few miles north escaped relatively unscathed. And before we found any wind again, the leaders were over 200 miles ahead. Despite being miles behind our nearest rival, Jersey fought hard to steal that one additional point for seventh place. However, Bristol had come in second to Salvador, and for the first time since race 2, Jersey was no longer the overall leader.

Race 14 – Salvador to New York

With a slice of good fortune and a favourable wind shift on the very first afternoon, a poor start was quickly recovered. Jersey fought for the lead with Glasgow for a couple of days. Sometimes we were a few boat lengths behind, sometimes two miles. Importantly we both took miles off the rest of the fleet.

Just when it looked like the fleet had made it through the doldrums, the wind again died off. But it did so from the south, and Jersey was just far enough north to hold onto the lightest of breezes. Quickly our lead built. Despite having sailed extremely conservatively, by the time the race was finished Jersey would be 100 miles ahead of its nearest competitor and 400 miles ahead of some of the others.

Race 15 – New York to Jersey

A start delayed as Hurricane Fabian passed by, meant that the actual race commenced from off the coast of Nova Scotia. A good start by Jersey was again whittled away as Liverpool and Bristol managed to get further north and nearer the major weather system. The lead was traded back and forth over several days, before a depression coming from the south decided it once and for all. Liverpool took the lead, with Bristol close behind them. Jersey finished third after a hard fight with London during the last night. Any flagging spirits were however much lifted by the warmth of the reception by the islanders.

Race 16A – Jersey to Holyhead

The culmination of the entire ocean race finished in two short-distance match races. There was little tactical consideration except sail fast. And this we did. Winning into Holyhead, with Bristol coming fourth, put us back into the overall lead by one point.

Race 16B – Holyhead to Liverpool

If Jersey was to win overall, we could not be more than one boat behind Bristol. We covered them from the start. However, only a few hours into the race, we had carved out a substantial lead, such that it was no longer sensible to cover them but better to sail to win. Jersey was beaten by Hong Kong, but our second place was more than sufficient to give us the overall win.

Sailing down the Mersey 11 months on felt very different. What had changed? Liverpool looked little different. There was no obvious change in our friends and family. So perhaps the change was within those on board. People who had hardly ever set foot on a boat before were now experienced sailors. 32 individuals from many different walks of life had shared many unforgettable experiences. Some beautiful, some horrific. However each experience had been witnessed together, and each challenge overcome together. The individuals who set off 11 months prior, returned as a tight knit team and lifelong friends, their horizons forever broadened.

The triumph was the culmination of hard work and dedication by 3 skippers and 32 crewmembers. While the crew may not all have been Jersey men and women by birth, they were definitely Jersey beans in spirit!

| Home | News | Race Reports | Crew | Gallery | Guestbook | Stopover | Links | About | Education | Families | Crew Only | Contact us | Search |

This web site is independent and is not operated by Clipper Ventures PLC. To visit the official Clipper Ventures site, please click here