A thrilling finish in Rio for top teams

What an exciting 24 hours it has been in the Clipper Race.

After 5,000 miles of racing and 27 days at sea, PSP Logistics, who crossed the Rio finish line 19 seconds after Jamaica Get All Right on Sunday, claimed victory in Race 2 Sunday after a time redress put them ahead.

To add to the excitement, Qingdao was third over the line, but Henri Lloyd has taken third podium position as it had a 7 hour 15 minute redress applied, putting it ahead of the Chinese entry in overall standings.

Redress meant some boats time credits to compensate for suspending racing while replenishing fresh water supplies in the Doldrums, PSP Logistics moved ahead of Jamaica Get All Right in the overall standings after applying a 1 hour 11 min redress to win Race 2.

PSP Logistics skipper, Chris Hollis, celebrated his team’s strong performance. He said: “The finish was fantastic. We had been playing cat and mouse for about a week with Jamaica Get All Right since we left the Doldrums. We didn’t get much sleep last night but getting a grandstand finish was all worth it.

“This is a brand new boat and a brand new team, and neither has been tested in these conditions. As a team we really progressed and grew stronger as the race went on. Overall, I think we dealt with the tough conditions all very well.”

Jamaica Get All Right Skipper, Pete Stirling added: “It felt great to come in first to Rio. It was a very long, very tough race. There have been highs and lows. It’s not the toughest of all the races physically but mentally it felt incredibly tough.

“Coming into the Doldrums, we were at the back of the pack but I had my tactics planned the whole way. Making our break out to the east and overtaking the fleet to take line honours in the final stages is a fantastic and memorable achievement for us all.”

Eric Holden, skipper of Henri Lloyd, said the past 27 days at sea had been particularly challenging.

"We were one of the first into the Doldrums and were almost out of it when we ran out of water and had to return back to replenish. We then got stuck there for another two days which was very tough for us all.

“We were in the top three for almost the entire race so we’ve been ecstatic to have our podium position confirmed here today. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions but the crew stuck together the entire time.” 

The provisional places so far are: First place PSP Logistics, second place Jamaica Get All Right, third place Henri Lloyd, fourth place Qingdao, fifth place OneDLL, sixth Derry~Londonderry~Doire.

 The remainder of the fleet will arrive in Rio de Janeiro over the next two days, with GREAT Britain and Old Pulteney expected in Monday morning local time.  Race 3, Leg 2 to Cape Town, South Africa, will start on Saturday, 12 October.

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