Cheminees Poujoulat
Neutrogena
Gaes Centros Auditivos
One Planet, One Ocean / Pharmaton
Spirit of Hungary
Hugo Boss
Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam, aboard Cheminees Poujoulat, were the first to cross the finish line on 25th
March with a time of 84 days, 5 hours and 25 seconds. Neutrogena followed five days later, and third place was taken by Gaes Centros Auditivos.
I lost interest early in the race when Alex Thomson and Pepe
Ribes retired after their yacht Hugo Boss
lost her mast. I had high hopes that they would do well - even to win. Both
boat and crew were well tested, and they consistently showed they had what it
takes to win. Therefore, it was a big disappointment when tragedy struck, for
they were out in front by a good margin.
They were my favourites to win, and my second favourites were
Nandor Fa and Conrad Colman, racing Spirit
of Hungary - not that I thought
they would win, but I admired them for their enthusiasm and determination,
despite the odds. Unlike the other competitors, they had no major sponsors.
They knew they were the underdogs, but for them taking part and finishing the
race was what it was all about. I’m not
surprised they are trailing behind the current leader, One Planet, One Ocean / Pharmaton, by 2,240 miles, but you can be
sure that if they succeed in finishing, they will be elated by their
achievement.
Links
Barcelona World Race
Barcelona World Race – Part 1
Barcelona World Race - Departure Live
Barcelona World Race
I would love to go sailing on one of these some day - down wind in about 30 knots of breeze!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBill - like you I kind of lost interest when Hugo Boss went out... they were fast, but I do wonder if Alex's bad luck (and he does seem unlucky) is down to the fact he doesn't know how to take the foot off the accelerator when he needs to - even if only a little bit??
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