11th Hour declared winners of Ocean Race after official ruling 

THE NEWPORT-BASED 11th Hour Racing Team celebrates winning the Ocean Race on June 29, the first U.S.-flagged entry to win in the contest's 50-year history. / COURTESY 11TH HOUR RACING

NEWPORT – The 11th Hour Racing Team was declared the winners of the around-the-world Ocean Race by the World Sailing International Jury Thursday.

The governing panel awarded 11th Hour Racing four points for the final leg following a no-fault collision with GUYOT environnement – Team Europe just 17 minutes into the start of the final stage of the race on June 15. The collision forced 11th Hour Racing, which was leading by one point on the leaderboard at the time, to return immediately to port. 

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The four points of redress put 11th Hour Racing Team three points ahead of Team Holcim-PRB in second place, with Team Malizia in third, Biotherm in fourth place, and GUYOT environnement – Team Europe in fifth on the final leaderboard.

The 11th Hour Racing crew heard about its win via a satellite phone call from team CEO Mark Towill as the team delivered its 60-foot IMOCA boat – a 60-foot development class monohull sailing yacht known as Mālama to Genoa, Italy.

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“We’re immensely proud of the effort our team has put in, from top to bottom. I feel like it hasn’t really sunk in yet, and I don’t think it will until we hit the dock,” said 11th Hour Racing Skipper Charlie Enright. “We’re very excited and appreciative and can’t wait to be with everyone else.”

The race is considered to be the world’s longest and toughest team sporting event. The six-month, 32,000-nautical mile race had been scheduled to end in Genoa, Italy, on July 1.  

The victory was the first time a U.S.-flagged team has won the contest in its 50-year history. Simon Fisher, 11th Hour Racing navigator, acknowledged the circumstances of the victory were “a little bizarre.” 

“But the news coming in this morning was a huge relief,” Fisher added. “And it is slowly sinking in that we have won the race.” 

11th Hour had been leading the race when the collision took place, resulting in a gaping hole in its carbon fiber hull forcing the team back to port in the Netherlands. It was later ruled a “no-fault collision.”

Team Holcim-PRB on Wednesday had filed a protest against 11th Hour Racing Team relating to the collision, arguing the team was in violation of official competitive sailing rules, which was ruled invalid. 

“One thing we like to pride ourselves on is never getting too high, never getting too low, and just working through everything,” said Enright, a Brown University graduate. “We say in the team, ‘If you’re not winning, you’re learning,’ and this whole race, we’ve just tried to improve in every single area.” 

11th Hour trimmer Francesca Clapcich is the first Italian to ever serve on a winning Ocean Race squad.

“It’s been a lifetime dream to be part of the race,” she said on June 27. 

Amory Ross, 11th Hour media crew member, said the feeling amongst the team right now is one of pride.

“It was surreal to hear the news on the boat, but for those of us onboard, this is the culmination of a long project, and there have been a lot of really good people involved,” Ross said. 

Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.

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