Approaching A Piece Of Mauritius

As the Clipper 2002 race fleet approach the southern side of the island of Rodrigues, the wind has returned and the speed is up.

Hong Kong Clipper still leads the fleet and skipper Justin Taylor will be happy to be doing a steady 9 knots. But the boats behind are also performing well and have all made up some distance on Hong Kong’s lead. The wings seem to be doing best with London in the north and Glasgow and Jersey in the south having the highest run over the last 12 hours.

As Rodrigues is a part of the republic of Mauritius, the fleet can justly feel they are nearly there. Race director Colin de Mowbray reports from Mauritius that conditions are looking good for the run in and thinks that they may even make it for Friday morning.

There will however be one final hurdle for the boats to watch out for. Port Louis is on the east coast of Mauritius and as such is on the leeward side of the island. Winds here are affected by the height of the island and are inevitable weaker and more changeable than out at sea, especially at night.

If the boats are rounding the southern tip of the island on Thursday night, we could well see some last minute position changes. And if they continue at 9 knots or so, the yachts should all arrive within a few hours of each other – an amazing achievement after such a long race.

Clipper 2002 – Race 11 Positions

28/05/2003 03:00:00