MAPFRE SECOND IN BARCELONA 5th Apr 2011
The Spanish crew aboard the Mapfre monohull, comprising Iker Martinez (33) and Xabi Fernandez (34), finished in second place in the Barcelona World Race after Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron. They sailed around the world double-handed in 94 days, 21 hours, 17 minutes and 35 seconds, covering 28,759 miles at an average speed of 12.63 knots. The two Olympic champions achieved a remarkable feat from a human and sporting perspective as they have only been sailing aboard an IMOCA monohull for fourteen months.
© Nico Martinez / Barcelona World Race
Playing with the big boys
“They have been amazing competitors. It’s astonishing to see how fast they have been sailing. It was Loïck Peyron, who paid them this tribute, when only ten miles separated Virbac-Paprec 3 from Mapfre in the South Pacific. This comment just goes to show the strength of the talent of these two sailors and the surprise some of the solo and double-handed ocean racing regulars, when they saw them doing so remarkably well. Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez have truly entered the premier league and showed in this round the world race that they could play with the big boys.
Having said that, it cannot be denied that the two Basque sailors entered this double-handed event with a lot of experience under their belt having won two gold medals at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and the silver in Beijing in 2008. Iker and Xabi also had the experience of two crewed round the world races after taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race. In the last edition of the race, aboard Telefonica Azul, they made it to the podium and won several legs. After winning another gold medal at the World 49er championship, they decided to dedicate themselves entirely to a different adventure, while remaining together as a team by announcing they were taking part in the Barcelona World Race.
A fine class
In Barcelona, the statue of another great sailor, Christopher Columbus, was lit up to pay homage to their achievement. Welcomed by Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron, Iker and Xabi were clearly overjoyed to complete their first non-stop round the world voyage. They learnt a lot about these boats that they had only really discovered a few months before. “You’ve got a great class!” is how Iker Martinez greeted Luc Talbourdet President of the Imoca class. Jean Le Cam, skipper and vice-president of the class was also present to pay tribute to their achievement, in what was an emotionally charged and historic sporting moment.
