PROVIDENCE – Vestas 11th Hour Racing finished fourth in the Volvo Ocean Race Leg 9 from Newport to Cardiff, Wales, Tuesday morning.
Earning eight points from the near-podium finish, the team is now in fifth place overall with a score of 36 points, now unable to place in the top two spots for the world-spanning race.
Dongfeng Racing Team is now in first with a total of 60 points overall, after finishing third for Leg 9.
“It was a tough leg both mentally and physically,” said Vestas 11th Hour skipper Charlie Enright in prepared remarks. “We have overcome much more as a team than a disappointing result, and this crew continues to push hard despite the scoreboard.”
The leg was not without challenge, with some of the Vestas 11th Hour’s crew having their water-pressure activated lifejackets activated by the amount of water on the deck at one point during the trans-Atlantic trip.
“It was a tricky leg. We were hoping for more transitions at the end to capitalize on but that didn’t happen,” stated Simon Fisher, team navigator. “I am just very happy to be here finishing in my home country and to have the first U.K. stopover in 12 years is really special.”
Now in Cadiff, the racers will have time to rest until the in-port race on June 8. The race will then resume on its way to Gothenburg, Sweden, for its second-to-last leg, on June 10. The final leg of the race is from Sweden to The Hague, Netherlands.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
