​First podiums for Washington DC and Our Isles and Oceans

It was beaming smiles on arrival for second-placed Washington DC and third-placed Our Isles and Oceans teams as they each got their first taste of a podium finish. The two teams showed grit and determination during this race to hold their place at the front of the fleet, and the hard work has paid off.

After being neck and neck with Our Isles and Oceans down to the wire, it was Washington DC that managed to just swoop past, clinching second place by just minutes as the team crossed the line at 14:15:31 UTC after what was a nail-biting race. Led by skipper Hannah Brewis and AQP Cameron McCracken, the team managed to navigate between shallow waters, the infamous Eastern Australian Current and the Great Barrier Reef, to secure the well-deserved ten points.

Image: Washington DC crosses the Finish Line

On arrival into the Coral Sea Marina, Hannah said: “It's amazing, we got our first podium, and second place, which we managed to pull in the last few miles. It was very hard, a lot of tactical things, but we just kept sailing. Massive shout out to Our Isles and Oceans. Without them we wouldn’t have sailed so fast. We just kept pushing each other the whole way around. It is massively exciting, and my family are here, so I get to celebrate with them too.”

On the result, she said: “It’s huge. We have spent a lot of this race nearer the bottom half of the fleet, so we needed this to prove that we are doing well and working hard, and we really demonstrated that we spent a lot of time looking after our sails and training the crew, and it has all come together in a second-place. It’s amazing we are so happy.”

Image: Hannah Brewis

AQP Cameron McCracken added: “We just kept going! We sort of didn’t think we would catch Our Isles and Oceans, but we believed we would, so we are very pleased. I think the team are happy that they had us to push them too.”

Image: Hannah and Cameron

Crew member Bob Staddon, from Jersey, was elated on arrival, with his wife, daughter and granddaughter here in Airlie Beach to greet him. He said: “What a result! It was a great trip: a little bit of everything, and no wind holes! That’s down to the skipper of course.”

Image: Bob Staddon

Speaking about his skipper, he added: “Hannah is a young lady, with a very mature head on, who is a great sailor. She is tremendous.”

The team was welcomed to Airlie Beach with smiling faces of friends, family and supporters who cheered the team into the dock and celebrated with the team as they sprayed their celebratory bottle of fizz.

Image: Celebrating second place

Flying in closely behind Washington, DC taking third place was Our Isles and Oceans. The team’s Race Skipper, Max Rivers, First Mate, Tom Newsom and the team had been racing closely with Washington, DC throughout the second half of the race, jostling positions and keeping those watching on the Race Viewer on their toes.

Our Isles and Oceans came close to a podium during Race 1 when the team arrived in Puerto Sherry in fourth place, but since have struggled since to keep a high place on the leaderboard. However, some good tactical decisions and strong sailing on this race allowed the team to celebrate a podium for the first time, as it claimed third place, crossing the Finish Line at 14:38:32UTC, just minutes behind Washington DC making for a gripping race finish.

Image: Our Isles and Oceans over the line

Speaking from the pontoon, skipper Max Rivers said: “It feels fantastic, we fought really hard for this! There’s been some ups and some big downs, for such a short race there has been a real range of emotions. Overall, the crew is ecstatic, they have worked incredibly hard to get here. We played our Joker, and it absolutely paid off for us. There was a really nice close battle with Washington DC, unfortunately had a sail breakage which slowed us down significantly. But Hannah and the team deserve it and sailed incredibly well.”

Max and Hannah [Brewis] shared a congratulatory chat over the VHF at the Finish Line, highlighting the strong camaraderie that runs deep across the teams in the Clipper Race. Max said: “We are each other’s lifeline when we are crossing oceans, so all the skippers have a great relationship. I’m so happy for Hannah and the team. It’s Washington DC’s first podium as well as ours so it's amazing to share it with them.

Image: Max Rivers

“Race points are everything, and I am so proud of the team. The little things we have been working on like helming and trimming are all coming together and it's great to see all the hard work coming into fruition. Everyone put in the effort to make sure we got the podium.”

Tom Newsom, AQP added: “To be on the podium is such an achievement and the crew are buzzing. It was a tough race for us, we’ve had to be really focused. This was the race that we played our Joker on, so there was a lot of pressure to perform. To achieve what we wanted feels just excellent.”

On the close finish he said: "It was a little bit heart-breaking. We held them off for a day or two. But they helmed really straight and worked really hard and all credits to them, its been some great racing that we have had between the two of us.

Image: Emotions on arrival

Anthony Stodart, Director of Our Isles and Oceans said: “We are over the moon that Our Isles and Oceans has come third in the race to Airlie Beach. After sailing halfway round the world, it is just the reward for Max, Tom, Wee Dram, and the team. All their hard work and persistence has paid off, and all rounded off with a really exciting last 24hrs, where the refresh button was being hammered on the Race Viewer as we oscillated places with Washington, DC. We wish we were there to enjoy what we know will be a fantastic atmosphere in a wonderful place, and hope that the crew can have a few days of well-earned rest before the next leg.”

Lachlan Duncan, circumnavigator, added: “It was a really tough race for us overall, but we have learnt a lot on this race that we can take to the future and maybe get a second or first place. Max has a really good leadership style and some of the best people skills than anyone I have met that is thirty! He’s really great at managing us and helping us each achieve our individual goals. Everyone on board helms in all conditions. You learn a lot by watching everybody learn so kudos to Max to continually push us!”

Image: Lachlan Duncan

Max and the team celebrated their success with their first fizz spray of the circumnavigation as supporters and Race Officials cheered from the dock and officially welcome them to the Whitsundays. Now for some rest, relaxation and soaking up all that the tropical paradise has to offer before Leg 5 begins.

Image: Celebrating third place

More updates on the rest of the fleet’s arrival into Airlie Beach to follow. Keep an eye on our social channels and the Race Viewer to follow the action.