Racing for the Planet victorious in inaugural Sailing Trophy
by Mirpuri Foundation 29 Jun 2020 01:38 BST
27-28 June 2020
The inaugural Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy has come to a close, with The Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team's 'Racing for the Planet' crew taking line honours in both legs this weekend.
The two-leg regatta between Cascais and Sesimbra was created in partnership with Clube Naval de Cascais to raise awareness and important funds for marine conservations projects. More than 50 boats took part in the event, racing to take home a share of the prize pool of over €30,000.
The Sailing Trophy was the first race outing for Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team, on board Racing for the Planet. The team won the first leg in light wind conditions, reaching Sesimbra one hour before the rival VO65.
In Sunday's return leg to Cascais, the team continued its pace, leading throughout in tricky upwind conditions to take line honours in a clean sweep of the event, with Green Eyes - Wally 105 and Sisi - The Austrian Ocean Race Project claiming second and third position respectively in the overall real-time classification.
Dr. Paulo Mirpuri, Founder of the Mirpuri Foundation said: "This weekend's Sailing Trophy has been a wonderful experience for us all. I would like to thank our partners at Clube Naval de Cascais for their hard work in creating this event with us, and to the local government for their support."
"Congratulations to all the teams who took part in this weekend's event and many thanks to those who travelled to join us for some spectacular racing. Special congratulations to the crew of Racing for the Planet. I am very proud of the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team and enjoyed this first taste of what is to come for the team."
The Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team's 'Racing for the Planet' was crewed by a star lineup of sailors for the team's first race. Skipper Yoann Richomme's crew had an accumulated 12 Volvo Ocean Race campaigns between them and included previous winners Charles Caudrelier and Jack Bouttell.
Yoann Richomme, Skipper of the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team said: "A first win for a team is always incredibly special and to celebrate this victory in Cascais, the home of our team, is all the more special. I really enjoyed this weekend's racing. It was a privilege to race with such a talented crew and I'd like to thank them for joining me on board Racing for the Planet to make our first race extra special. I'd also like to thank The Mirpuri Foundation for the measures that they put in place from the beginning to and allow us to go racing safely. It has been a big success for everyone.
View the full event classification here.
For more information, visit mirpurifoundation.org/mfst.