The fourteenth race of the sixteen-race series will start from Salvador, Brazil at 1200 on Sunday 29 July on a 4,200 nautical mile passage to North America. London Clipper’s immensely popular win into Salvador, having come so close in previous races, has been widely celebrated amongst the fleet during the week-long Brazilian stopover.

All eight yachts finished the 3,800 mile, 22-day race from Cape Town to Salvador, within 20 hours of each other, which means that five of the eight yachts have now had victories in The Times Clipper 2000. This is a truly great testimony to the quality of the racing.

With this in mind, the skippers and crews turn their thoughts to the complex wind patterns for the run up to New York. Reaching up the coast of Brazil, the warm wind becomes steadily hotter as the fleet nears the Equator. Here, the winds die away and the entire region, known as the Doldrums, is renowned for its light and fickle winds which can make passing through a testing experience for skippers and crews alike.

The first indication that they are clear is the cool north-easterly trade wind which powers them northward, along with the Gulf Stream, towards the eagerly anticipated stopover in New York. The Times Clipper 2000 is about serious yacht racing and fierce competition on the water, illustrated by the city rivalry which now sees the top three yachts separated by a mere 11 points. But, once in port, the crew put aside their rivalry and enjoy coming together as an integral part of the whole Clipper experience.

Just as the route is planned to give a wide variety of challenging sailing conditions, so too are the stopover ports selected with cultural diversity but common hospitality. Race 14 of The Times Clipper 2000 shows this with great clarity, taking the fleet from a developing third-world country to one of the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres.

The fleet are expected to arrive into Liberty Landing Marina, located in Liberty State Park, on 22 August. This is a relatively new marina situated due W of Manhattan Island in New Jersey City and just behind the Statue of Liberty. Clipper crews will marvel at the stunning view of the Manhattan skyline, dominated by skyscrapers and distinguished architectural sites, and can experience spectacular sightseeing and whale watching cruises from Liberty Landing Marina.

Following a nine-day stopover in New York, the Clipper crews will set sail on the final transatlantic dash to Jersey on 31 August 2001. To ensure a close and exciting finish the fleet will enjoy a high-profile event schedule during the three-day race stopover in Jersey, before the final sprint to the homecoming celebrations at Portsmouth’s world-class shopping and leisure waterfront Gunwharf Quays on Friday 21 September 2001.