UK CITIES SET SAIL ON LEG 2 - HAWAII VIA PANAMA AND GALAPAGOS

by Sue Warden Owen on 1 Dec 2000 Record breaking international yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, chairman of
Clipper Ventures Plc, the AIM listed yacht racing and branded sailing event
company, is in Cuba to start Race 3 of The Times Clipper 2000 Round The
World Yacht Race. The fleet of eight identical 60-ft yachts will set sail
on the second leg from Cuba to Hawaii, covering a distance of 6,100 miles,
at 1200 noon local time (1700 GMT) tomorrow, Friday 1st December 2000, from
a start line off the entrance to the internationally renowned Marina
Hemingway, which is located on the northwest coast of the island of Cuba and
is considered one of the best equipped marinas in the Caribbean.

After the challenging tactical racing and testing weather conditions of leg
1, fierce competition is expected on leg 2 amongst the rival yachts, each
sponsored by UK cities including Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London,
Plymouth, Portsmouth and the island of Jersey. Following a 9-day stopover
in Havana where 30 new crew have joined the yachts in place of those
competing on just leg 1, the fleet will set sail this Friday on Race 3 of
The Times Clipper 2000. The challenging 1076 nautical mile sprint from Cuba
to Colon (Panama) is expected to finish on 9th December 2000 at the
approaches to the Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal, at the port of
Colon.

The yachts will then transit the Panama Canal, travelling alongside tankers
and bulk carriers, before a 2-day visit to Balboa. Race 4, an 855 nautical
mile race from Panama (Balboa) to Galapagos (Isla Santa Cruz), will start on
Friday 15th December. Christmas is then spent in the Galapagos Islands
where Dr Charles Darwin formulated his theory of evolution and crews
celebrate the New Year whilst charging across the eastern Pacific Ocean to
Hawaii on Race 5, the longest single stretch of the whole circumnavigation.

Commenting on the forthcoming challenge Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first
person to sail single handed non-stop around the world, said, 'The Cuban
hospitality has been first rate during this stopover and the crews are well
rested in preparation for their race to Panama. Plymouth Clipper's apparent
runaway success on leg 1 from Portsmouth to Cuba, via the Algarve, cannot be
taken as a foretaste of the way the remainder of the race will go. I
suspect we will see Plymouth Clipper face strong competition on the next
race, as the rivalry steps up between the competing cities. Whatever
happens, leg 2 of The Times Clipper 2000 promises to be the experience of a
lifetime for crews joining in Havana.'

Although Clipper Ventures plans the routes and supplies the yachts and
qualified skippers, the race is run entirely for the benefit of the crews
who have to actually race around the world and face the challenges. Once
selected for The Times Clipper 2000, all crewmembers complete extensive
training programmes to prepare for the rigours of racing a 60-foot ocean
going yacht.

The yachts are expected to arrive in Hawaii at the end of the second leg
around 21st January 2001, when some of the crews will again change. The
fleet will then face a 4000 mile crossing to Japan and race onto China,
Mauritius, Cape Town, Brazil and New York before the final Atlantic crossing
to Jersey. A short sprint back to Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth will ensure
a close and exciting race finish, with an expected arrival date of 21st
September 2001. Crew applications are already underway for the next race to
be run by Clipper Ventures Plc, the 'Clipper 2002 Round The World Yacht Race
' starting from the UK in October 2002. For further information or to
sign-up for Clipper 2002 please telephone 023 8023 7088 or visit
www.clipper-ventures.com
-ends-
30th November 2000

For further press information:
Sue Warden-Owen
M-H-L Press and Publicity
Tel: 01489 575227
Fax: 01489 577766
Mobile: 07770 596111
E-mail: suewo@dial.pipex.com
Web: www.clipper-ventures.com

For copyright free sailing images:
Peter Bentley
The Times Clipper 2000 Photographer
Tel: 01329 515050
Fax: 01329 515060
Mobile: 07973 638075

Notes to Editors:

The Times Clipper 2000 Race is the focus of an innovative schools programme
run by Offshore Telecom Plc. A web based programme, the content includes
weekly on-line magazines during term time: 'The Explorer', aimed at
secondary school age children, and its primary age counterpart, 'The Junior
Explorer'. The programme provides educators and children alike with a fun
and interesting way of illustrating core subjects, such as geography,
history, maths and language. Offline materials freely available to
registering schools include an A1 sized route-map of the race and already
several thousand schools are using this exciting learning resource in many
different ways, each perfectly illustrating Offshore Telecom's goal of
'bringing the world closer'.

Please visit www.offshore-schools.com or www.offshoretele.com

Position Yacht Total Points (Race1, Race2 pts)
1 Plymouth Clipper 15 (7, 8)
2 Bristol Clipper 13 (8, 5)
3 Portsmouth Clipper 13 (6, 7)
4 London Clipper 11 (5, 6)
5 Leeds Clipper 7 (3, 4)
6 Jersey Clipper 6 (4, 2)
7 Glasgow Clipper 5 (2, 3)
8 Liverpool Clipper 2 (1, 1)

NB: Where 2 yachts tie on points the team with the higher placings take
precedence. So Bristol take 2nd over Portsmouth as they have scored a 1st,
notching up 8 points.

Latest Ladbrokes Betting:

To win Times Clipper 2000:
6/4 Bristol, 2/1 Plymouth, 7/2 Portsmouth, 9/2 London, 9/1 Jersey, 20/1
Leeds, 25/1 Glasgow, 33/1 Liverpool
To win race 3 to Panama:
2/1 Plymouth, 5/2 Bristol, 4/1 Portsmouth, 4/1 London, 9/1 Jersey, 12/1
Leeds, 14/1 Glasgow, 16/1 Liverpool

Betting is available online at www.ladbrokes.com and www.ladbrokes.co.uk or
via the official race site www.clipper-ventures.com