End of Leg Four

The 8 Clipper yachts are now securely tied up in the small yacht basin right next to the magnificent Labourdonnais Hotel in Port Louis, Mauritius.

Race 11 honours went to Richard Butler and his crew aboard Bristol Clipper, although it was Cape Town Clipper, skippered by Roger Steven-Jennings, who was congratulated as the only boat to arrive at a sociable time – once again taking all PR glory as they sped over the line in full glory in brilliant sunlight.

Port Louis has since been a hive of activity as each team hurries to clean and polish their boats and get things fixed and running in preparation for the next race start on Friday, 6 June.

Sails have been assessed and sent away to be repaired, the stores have arrived successfully and the various fleet ‘workers,’ such as the victuallers, media gurus and medics, have all had a chance to get together and swap tales.

With the big work day done and the shore bags dusted off, the crews are now heading out for the ‘big chill’ Surely it would be plain rude to come to Mauritius and not sample the amazing beaches and seaside villas for a couple of days. It is not just honeymooners that get to see these delights and the Clipper crews are certainly ready to do an awful lot of nothing for a day or two!

Mauritius signifies the end of Leg 4 of the Clipper 2002 series. So we are once again losing crew who have perhaps been with us for a few ‘legs’ now. Always sad to see the packed dry bags and holdalls on the side decks as the goodbyes are said and the taxis are booked.

To replace these crews, a steady flow of new leggers has started to arrive in Port Louis. Described by one Round the Worlder as being ‘clean and shiny’ the new crews are excitedly turning up on the pontoons with new kit yet to be faded by the sun and almost a whole world of stories and salty sea tales to catch up with. WELCOME TO LEG 5!!

“It’s a Clipper Knock Out,” organised by Bristol Clipper’s Matt Lloyd, is set to take place at the Merville Beach Hotel in Grande Baie on Tuesday, 3 June at 15:00. A seamless transition is planned from this event into the Race 11 Prize Giving Reception, hosted by the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), which will also be at the Merville Beach Hotel between 19:00 and 21:00.