The Times Clipper 2000 - All the fleet arrive in Okinawa
by Sue Warden-Owen 16 Mar 2001 16:50 GMT
All of the eight-strong Times Clipper 2000 fleet have now crossed the finish line of Race 7, an 860 mile race from Yokohama to the Japanese island of Okinawa. Liverpool Clipper, skippered by Rupert Dean, crossed the finishing line at 08:56 GMT today, Friday 16th March 2001, to claim an important first victory in the eleven-month circumnavigation. The closet race finish to date also saw three of the yachts, London, Glasgow and Bristol, cross the line within a mere 76 seconds of one another after nearly seven days racing.
The three yachts had been locked together for over three hours as the wind picked up and they slowly accelerated up to 9 knots. Time and time again the lead changed as each of the racing yachts nosed ahead. Crew could talk across the dark night to the rival boats as the phosphorescence left three bright furrows in the ocean.
Two miles from the finish Bristol Clipper moved out and set their spinnaker quietly, so the others did not hear. It was a gamble with the wind just ahead of the beam and this time the dice did not fall in their favour and they dropped back 200 metres. London Clipper edged ahead of Glasgow just
when it mattered and crossed the line 8 seconds ahead of her to take an amazing 5th place. Glasgow Clipper was 6th and Bristol 7th by a margin of just 68 seconds.
Race 7 Finishing Positions (All times GMT):
| Pos | Yacht | Skipper | Time |
|---|
| 1st | Liverpool Clipper | Rupert Dean | 08:56 |
| 2nd | Jersey Clipper | Paul de la Haye | 12:07 |
| 3rd | Plymouth Clipper | Matt Baker | 13:05 |
| 4th | Portsmouth Clipper | Martin Clough | 13:45 |
| 5th | London Clipper | Stuart Gibson | 14:24:02 |
| 6th | Glasgow Clipper | Ed Green | 14:24:10 |
| 7th | Bristol Clipper | Bob Beggs | 14:25:18 |
| 8th | Leeds Clipper | Paul Burke | 16:03 |
Overall points now stand as follows:
| Pos | Yacht | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | Bristol | 44 |
| 2 | London | 37 |
| 3 | Plymouth | 38 |
| 4 | Jersey | 35 |
| 5 | Portsmouth | 35 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 29 |
| 7 | Glasgow | 18 |
| 8 | Leeds | 16 |
Races 7 and 8 of The Times Clipper 2000 Round The World Yacht Race are sponsored by Fox-Pitt, Kelton (FPK), the only integrated investment bank specialising in the financial services industry worldwide. Following a 6-day stopover, race 8 will start from just off the port of Naha in the south of Okinawa at 12:00 local time on Wednesday 21st March and the yachts are expected to arrive in Hong Kong on Wednesday 28 March.
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