Team Telefónica med skepparen Iker Marínez och hans tio besättningsmän seglade på lördagskvällen in som obestridd segrare på den första delsträckan av Volvo Ocean Race. Målgången i Kapstaden blev rena rama triumfen efter att Telefónica har lett hela den senare delen av seglingen.
Här är hela den engelska pressreleasen från tävlingsledningen:
Team Telefónica has victoriously crossed the finish line while the sun was setting in Cape Town, South Africa, shooting to the top of the overall leaderboard.
Skipper Iker Marínez and his 10 champion crewmen arrived in roaring conditions in Table Bay, sailing with a reefed mainsail in a confused sea with more than 40 knots of gusting wind.
The Spanish team crossed the finish line at 1814:25 UTC after 21 days, five hours and 14 minutes at sea completing the gruelling 6,500 nautical mile Leg 1 race from Alicante, Spain.
While the sailors were looking forward to a long hot shower and fresh food, their immediate arrival was marked with a frothing champagne shower.
The victory catapults the Spaniards from the bottom of the leaderboard with just one sole point, to the top with 31 points.
Telefónica’s closest competitor CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand remains about 200 nautical miles behind them, and are expected to finish in the early hours of tomorrow morning.
Should CAMPER secure the second spot they will score 25 points, leaving them trailing Telefónica by just two points on the leaderboard.
In third position Groupama sailing team is set to secure 20 points, and third position overall, just seven points behind CAMPER.
Foto: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race.
