Tactics throughout the Clipper fleet are virtually identical at the moment as the boats zigzag between north and west from the Galapagos Islands to Hawaii, each trying to get one up on their nearest competitor.

Hong Kong has made the most dramatic move swinging hard to the north and has lost out on the distance to finish as a result. However, skipper Justin Taylor will be playing a longer game and there is a certain logic in doing something different to the rest of the pack. As Bristol skipper Richard Butler says, “What really matters now though is the strength of the wind and the Equatorial current where each of the boats is.” There is little to be gained by just following in another’s wake.

At the moment it is certainly Jersey Clipper’s wake that leads tantalisingly into the distance. With the highest day’s run yet again Simon Rowell and his crew really have that boat in the groove. A few miles behind things remain close, with London, Bristol and New York almost parallel to each other and Glasgow and Liverpool remaining very close friends.

The wind direction has been pretty constant from the south south-east and varying in strength from Force 2-4.

LATEST POSITIONS

04:00, 13 January 2003

1 Jersey 3462.85 (nautical miles to finish)

2 London 3481.70 (nautical miles to finish)

3 Bristol 3486.35 (nautical miles to finish)

4 New York 3489.28 (nautical miles to finish)

5 Glasgow 3492.45 (nautical miles to finish)

6 Liverpool 3494.75 (nautical miles to finish)

7 Cape Town 3527.69 (nautical miles to finish)

8 Hong Kong 3557.35 (nautical miles to finish)