Swiss skipper Bernard Stamm on board Chemines Poujoulat, crossed the finish line off the harbour of Puerto Deportivo marina, Gexto, Bilbao, at 17:13 and 25 seconds European time (15:13:25 UTC). After 3,200 miles of North Atlantic racing, Stamm completed the Velux 5 Oceans Leg 3, taking both line honours and first place overall in this edition of the race after leading the fleet throughout a gruelling 29,000 mile circumnavigation of the world.
As the wind continued to drop during Tuesday 1st of May afternoon, Kojiro Shiraishi sailed Open 60 Spirit of Yukoh across the finish line offshore Gexto, Bilbao, to complete Leg 3 of the VELUX 5 OCEANS race at 17:56 and 45 seconds European time (15:56 UTC).
Kojiro's tenacious transatlantic crossing ensured that the Japanese skipper rarely let the race leader, Bernard Stamm with Chemines Poujoulat, more than 100 miles ahead during the 3,200 mile, 11 day 'sprint' to Bilbao.
During the entire circumnavigation of VELUX 5 OCEANS race, Bernard Stamm spent a total of 103 days, 22 hours and 10 minutes at sea, holding a 14 day lead over Kojiro who completed the course after 118 days, 1 hour and 42 minutes at sea.
