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Club Med arrives in Marseilles and wins The Race

by The Race Media 3 Mar 2001 21:53 GMT

Photo ©: Carlo Borlenghi/Sea&Sea

It is today, Saturday 3rd march 2001 at 19 hours 56 minutes 33 secondes GMT that Club Med crossed the finishing line of The Race, la course du Millénaire.

At 13 :00 hours GMT on the 31st December, from Barcelona, (Spain), the fleet formed by the six maxi-catamarans " no limit " started on their round the world navigation. Their theoretical route of 23 300 nautical miles (more than 43 000 kilometers) crossed three Oceans, the Atlantic, the Indian and the Pacific. The course around the globe left the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), Cape Leeuwin (South West Australia) and finally Cape Horn (Chile) to port (on their left).

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.

UNOFFICAL FINISH TIME: 19:56:33 GMT

At 19:56:33 GMT this evening the catamaran Club Med completed a historic victory in winning "The Race" ­ the non-stop race the world which started in Barcelona, Spain on 31 December 2001.

After completing close to 27407,9 miles Club Med finished the race after 62 days 06 hours and 56 minutes cutting more than 9 days of the previous time for a non-stop circumnavigation ­ set by Olivier de Kersauson in "Sport Elec" in 1997 (24280 miles, 71d 14j 18m ­ average 14.1knots).

FIRST REPONSE ­ GRANT DALTON WINNER OF 'THE RACE'

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.

Following are some first comments from New Zealand-born Grant Dalton, skipper of the catamaran 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.

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