Club Med finishes The Race

by Club Med press release on 4 Mar 2001 Club Med crossed the finish line victorious this evening at 19:56:33 GMT ­- 62days, 6 hours, 56 minutes, 33 seconds
since the start in Barcelona on 31 December 2000. Second placed Innovation Explorer is expected on Tuesday
morning. As Club Med finished The Race this evening Loick Peyron and his crew were about 70 miles from the
entrance of the Straits of Gibralter.


Photo (c) Carlo Borlenghi/Club Med

The total distance covered by Club Med on this inaugural running of The Race was 27,407.9 nautical miles, (50,759.4
kilometres)at an average speed of 18,3 knots (33,9 km/h).

The total distance was covered in 62 days, 6 hours, 56 minutes and 33 seconds and included going through the
Cook Straits, which separate the north and south islands of New Zealand)

Among their outstanding feats , Club Med set a new world record for the distance sailed in 24 hours when she
covered 655,2 miles in 24 hours. The maxi-catamaran co-skippered by Grant Dalton and Franck Proffit covered those
655,2 milles at an average speed of 27,3 knots.

Club Med's crew :
Grant Dalton : Skipper
Franck Proffit : Co-skipper
Mike Quilter : Navigator
Ed Danby : Boat captain
Neal Mc Donald : Watch captain
Stefano Rizzi : Trimmer
Jacques Caraes : Trimmer/Vidéo
Hervé Jan : Helmsman
Fred Le Peutrec : Helmsman
Guillermo Altadill : Helmsman
Alexis de Cenival : N°1/Doctor
Jan Dekker : N°1
Nicholas Pichelin : N°1

The following are the first comments from New Zealand-born Grant Dalton, skipper of Club Med.

On the response from seeing the 15,000 strong crowd which greeted Club Med's arrival at the Vieux Port in Marseille
this evening around 10pm local time:

'We hadn't even stopped to consider too much what it would be like, ­the past 24 hours were pretty tough. We had a
bad night last night with a lot of wind ­- it was only today that I started to think that this was ours and we we're going
to have this victory!

Suddenly out of the night we came, doing 25 knots, boats scattering everywhere and that was just the start of it. And
all these people here now. It's perfect, ­Saturday night, ­all the crowds on the dock. I didn't know what to expect - ­I
never expected the response we have had tonight, it has been unbelievable.

We're all humbled by everyone turning out to see us ­ we had no idea there was so much interest. We absolutely
can't believe it.

Winning a race like this is never easy. But somehow it's always easier afterwards. We sailed a very controlled race.
We weren't really pushed that hard so it's hard to judge but there were times when it was easy, times when it was
really tough. In general it was fantastic event. We're going to savour tonight. We've done what we set out to do.

Loick Peyron and his boys on Innovation Explorer have done a fantastic job ­they have chased us hard and they
pushed us all the way - full credit to them as well.

The crew has done a great job. Sixty-two days at sea is a long time ­ whether they ever want to sail with me again is
another story! We brought this international mix together and it's worked. We've all learnt a lot about each other ­
including how to sail these boats - and I think they've all benefited from the experience and I know they will savour it
as well.

I think it was probably our most clinical and our best win. Maybe your first win is the best, the most special ­ for me
as skipper it was NZ Endeavour in the Whitbread ­ but this is right up there. I'm happy ­ I'm really happy tonight!'

A press conference will be held tomorrow morning in Marseille at 11am local time (10:00 GMT). Further information
will be released after the press conference.