WELL DONE PACHI, WELL DONE TOÑO! 8th Apr 2011
They were expected to finish early this morning, but Pachi Rivero and Antonio Piris were really slowed down over the last few miles and had to work hard to find any wind. They finally crossed the finish at 0847 hrs (local time) this Friday morning.
Pachi Rivero and Toño Piris have taken third place in the Barcelona World Race aboard Renault Z.E. This morning the two skippers were beaming with joy, as was the FNOB team welcoming home their first competitor. Toño and Pachi completed their round the world voyage in 97d 18h 47mins and 36s.
As soon as they crossed the finish the two Spaniards made their first declarations.
Pachi Rivero : “It's an honour to be able to complete the circumnavigation without stopping and to finish on this podium. I want to congratulate the first two boats. Ours is a result that makes us very happy. We're back without stopping, with the whole boat and being on the podium. The secret is that we are a great team with a shore crew that have always supported us and have been behind us at all times so that we can complete the round the world without stopping."
Toño Piris : "For me it was a new experience, an major challenge and I'm really happy that we could meet it. It's been an important role and an unforgettable experience. Throughout the race we've had bad days, especially at the exit of the Mediterranean but we have overcome them all. At that time we could not imagine the podium. It was a surprise, but encouraged us to keep progressing. The secret of the comeback was that Pachi is a 'MacGyver' and has an impressive moral strength."
We would like to pay tribute to all of the team at the Barcelona Ocean Racing Foundation. The Foundation has managed to organise this amazing race and to manage its ocean-racing team in an exemplary way. W e are pleased to see this success of this event, which is contributing to the development and reputation of our Class.
The skippers have understood that and in amongst the crowds of supporters and spectators, Jean-Pierre Dick, the overall winner of this round the world race, is always there to welcome home the other competitors. We can stress alongside the environmentally friendly qualities, the sportsmanship that we have all seen here.
Tomorrow, we shall be seeing another boat from this team receive an ovation. Alex Pella and Pepe Ribes aboard Estrella Damm are expected during the night, which is likely to be another festive occasion.
Photo credit : Guillaume Evrard.
