On Saturday 31st July at 0132 hrs and 14 secs (local time), Armel Le Cléac’h crossed the finishing line set up 2 miles outside of Gijon harbour (Spain). The skipper of Brit Air took 3 days 11 hours 14 minutes and 32 seconds to sail the 515 miles of this first leg between Le Havre and Gijón. This was his ninth Solitaire and his third leg win since he made his debut in the event in 2000.

After setting out from Panama on 13th July, Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron reached Newport Rhode Island on 23rd July. The two sailors aboard Virbac-Paprec 3 have thus qualified for the Barcelona World Race. In the forthcoming days, Jean-Pierre Dick will be setting off again, this time alone to cross the Atlantic to Lorient, the end of the voyage halfway around the world, which since mid May has been used as part of the training programme on board Virbac-Paprec 3.

Pepe Ribes: "We’re quite happy with the final rankings. At the start of the race, we hadn’t even hoped of finsihing so high. Compared to last summer, when we did the Round Europe race, we’ve certainly gained in terms of speed. As long as we’re not sailing upwind, we remain competitive. We’re quite pleased about what the boat was able to do.”

Vincent Riou : "This was really a strange race. We set off in every direction from Palma and thought there would be some huge gaps. In the end, we all finished together with a great final run over the last thirty miles with a lot of close contact sailing and strategic choices. We’re pleased to have won a second leg ahead of Safran, because they were sailing so well that it was far from easy to get ahead. We have made progress throughout the race, but we saw too that all the teams made giant leaps. The Spanish are up there now: now they have the potential to win races, even if that wasn’t the case this time around. We’re pleased to see how this class is becoming international and that promises a lot for the years to come."

"We can’t feel disappointed about this final leg. There’s not the hint of feeling depressed, as we really fought hard. This was hotly contested right up to the finishing line that was so difficult to reach.At certain points we really thought we could win, while at other times we thought we would finish fifth. From Palma to Palamos, we really gave it our all and were pleased with our choices. Then, in light airs, we suffered in comparison to PRB, with her tunny rig, as she can carry more headsail than us. Looking at this leg, we really thought Iker and Xabi were going to win."

This will be the first time that wireless technology has been used on a 60-foot Open boat. It can now be found with the back-up nav control system on Arnaud Boissière’s AKENA Vérandas. This device, the real nerve centre of the boat, analyses the data obtained via the various sensors onboard (wind gauge, wind vane, speedo) in order to drive the autopilot. For solo races, where autopilot failure can be fatal, Arnaud has chosen a back-up using wireless technology. “In the long run, the idea is to move from the cable system as most of the problems come from false connections,” explained the skipper. Today, this replacement system means he can cope with a damaged wind vane, for example. "A windvane and wind gauge can be attached to a pole, meaning the skipper doesn’t have to climb the mast in dangerous conditions,” explained the company behind the device, Tacktick by Suunto, the project’s official supplier.