​GREAT BRITAIN HONOURS TEAMMATE WITH SECOND PLACE RESULT

Showing incredible courage and resilience, GREAT Britain has claimed its best position of its Clipper 2017-18 Race campaign so far, taking second place into Fremantle, Australia.

The team crossed the Race 3: Dell Latitude Rugged Race finish line in Fremantle Harbour at 18:50:55 local time (11:50:55 UTC) to finish what has been an emotionally charged past week on the Southern Ocean.

Once they arrived at the Fremantle Sailing Club, the crew were somewhat subdued, but also clearly proud of what they had achieved, which they made clear was all for Simon Speirs, with many commenting that their beloved teammate had arranged some divine intervention to help spur them on.

Skipper Andy Burns and the GREAT Britain crew, showing amazing teamwork and spirit, found the courage to keep racing following the tragic loss of Simon on Day 18. The team pulled closer amid their grief, even channelling Simon’s dedication to help them leap from ninth to second in the final four days of their race.

In a blog during the final stages of the race, GREAT Britain round the world crew member Pip O’Sullivan explained the strong finish, writing: “Last night it dawned on us that we have still got a really good chance to do well in this race. I only realised this when I started receiving emails from home saying how proud everyone was of us and how well we were doing. This could be the ultimate tribute to Simon Speirs, to get the podium finish that we have all hoped for since we started the race. It would be very fitting as Simon was secretly one of the most competitive on the boat.”

This is the first official podium result for GREAT Britain in the Clipper 2017-18 Race.

Simon's family would like it known that he was fundraising for two important charity causes - Orbis and Practical Action. To find out more and help Simon reach his £10,000 fundraising target, please read his sponsorship blog.