CLIPPER ROUND THE WORLD YACHT RACE CONCLUDES IN LONDON

LMAX EXCHANGE, skippered by Frenchman Olivier Cardin, was confirmed as the winner of the 10th edition of the world’s longest ocean race – the Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race.

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LMAX EXCHANGE, skippered by Frenchman Olivier Cardin, was confirmed as the winner of the 10th edition of the world’s longest ocean race – the Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race.

The team’s victory came despite finishing the final race of the 14-stage series behind long standing rival for the title Derry~Londonderry~Doire, which was the first to cross the Race 14 finish line, but not by a large enough margin to knock LMAX Exchange off the top of the overall leaderboard.

“The last stage of the Clipper Race 2015-16 was rather risky. On board, the tension was felt during the first few hours of racing. Smiles appeared over time and our happiness exploded as we crossed the line two places behind Derry~Londonderry~Doire,” says Cardin.

“We completed the series with six overall race wins and 10 podiums. The result is fantastic, a fruit of labour from a very hungry team. We are all proud to have accomplished this great challenge.”

Derry~Londonderry~Doire Skipper Dan Smith from West Kilbride, Scotland, whose team claimed the podiums in seven races, was disappointed not to have been able to overturn his rival despite giving everything to achieve a winning performance in the final stage.

GREAT Britain takes third place in the overall race standings. Despite finishing 10th in Race 14, the team’s result was enough to keep Garmin (fourth overall and fourth in Race 14) behind on overall points. Fifth placed Qingdao enjoyed two podium finishes during the 40,000 nautical mile circumnavigation, which included an unforgettable visit to the team’s home port in March.

All 12 teams paraded up the River Thames on July 30, with Tower Bridge lifting twice for the teams to pass through.

A prize-giving ceremony took place in St Katharine Docks in front of thousands of spectators. Each of the 12 teams then took to the stage to bepresented with a framed photo of their boat.

A total of 680 crew members from 45 different countries took part in the Clipper 2015-16 Race, all of whom come from a wide variety of backgrounds – from nurses to firefighters, students to retirees, farmers, housewives, CEOs and surgeons. Aged 19 to 75 with no upper age limit enforced, crew can choose to compete either in the whole circumnavigation or one or more of its eight legs.

Held biennially, the next edition of the Clipper Race will start in summer 2017.

http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com