John Kostecki deserved to win this leg perhaps more than any other - it is hard to see where they put a foot wrong. And yet at one point a couple of days ago in the fickle wind conditions off the Brazilian coast, it looked as though victory could be cruelly snatched away from them. They led all the way up the South American coast, always the hunted. Now finally they can breath a sigh as they crossed the finish line at 0258 local time (0558.42 GMT). After 23 days, 5 hours, 58 minutes and 42 seconds.
When stepping ashore Kostecki said : "Being overtaken before finishing would have been devastating for us after sailing the leg so well. It happened to us before finishing in Hobart and it could have easily happened here as well." When asked for the recipe for winning he continued : "It’s because we have the best team !"
During the final approach to the finish line, the current was setting against them in virtually no wind. When the huge Code 0 sail couldn’t fill any more, the crew changed for a smaller headsail that develops less drag in the light air.
In the hot night, spectators are lining up to the sounds of a Samba band playing on the shore.
illbruck will be relieved to have evaded that uncertainty and to have extended their points margin on the rest of the fleet. Even better for them, djuice’s break for the shore away from the other three boats vying for second place appears to be paying off. If Knut Frostad’s decision to split from the pack earns him the runner-up spot here, not only will it help ease some of the pressure from his shoulders, it will put crucial points between illbruck and Amer Sports One.
The next boat is due to finish at 11.39GMT.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 24, 0558 GMT
11th Hour Racing Team has won The Ocean Race 2022-23, the world’s longest and toughest team sporting event - the first time a US team has won in the 50-year history of the Race.
The next edition of The Ocean Race, scheduled to start from Alicante, Spain in October 2021, will visit 10 international cities, including the start port and the Grand Finale finish in Genoa, Italy in the summer of 2022.
The latest edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain in October 2017 and finished in The Hague in the Netherlands in June 2018, will be remembered as the closest in race history, as well as a record-breaking event on many levels.
Dongfeng Race Team has won the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 in the closest finish in race history.
Skipper Charles Caudrelier led his team to victory on the final leg of the race, a 970-mile sprint from Gothenburg, Sweden to The Hague.
Incredibly, it marked the first leg win for the team — it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Charlie Enright’s Vestas 11th Hour Racing showed great patience and sailed a clean race for a victory in the Gothenburg In-Port Race on Sunday.
But it was Xabi Fernández’s MAPFRE team who rode a third place finish on Sunday to win the overall In-Port Race Series, sailing 11 points clear of their closest pursuers, Dongfeng Race Team.
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The scientific research, using data collected by Race team ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic’, identified over three million micro plastic particles per square kilometre of ocean.
The sub-surface data on micro plastic pollution levels was collected using a state-of-the-art instrument on board their Volvo Ocean 65 racing yacht.
Yannick a volé la vedette à Brian, à seulement quelques milles de l’arrivée qu’il coupe en vainqueur avec 27 minutes d’avance sur son homologue Anglais. Qui l’eut cru ? Pas Yannick en tout cas. « J’étais persuadé que Brian était déjà arrivé », lance le skipper, « je suis sur le cul ! ».
C’est le sprint final pour les bateaux de tête. Une centaine de milles séparent le leader Brian Thompson (Lighthouse Life Foundation) de la ligne d’arrivée, qu’il devrait couper en vainqueur d’étape selon toute vraisemblance, vers 5 heures (heure française) demain matin.
Sébastien Magnen réalise le doublé. La première étape est mouvementée avec le passage d’une forte tempête dans le golfe de Gascogne. Neuf skippers sont hélitreuillés. De nombreux marins font escale en Espagne. A noter lors de cette dernière Mini-Transat vers les Antilles, la création d’une division série remportée par le constructeur du Pogo. (…)
Gros coup de tabac sur la première étape. Celle-ci est annulée. Il est demandé aux skippers de rentrer au port. Thierry Dubois parvient quand même à la terminer et remporte ensuite la deuxième étape.