OGR - Marie Tabarly Takes Leg 3

Pen Duick VI Triumphant Roaring into Punta del Este in First Place of Cape Horn Leg in McIntyre Ocean Globe!

Pen Duick VI FR (14) first across the finish line in Punta del Este at 15:55 UTC, 13th February, after 30 days of hard racing. Too close to call for IRC ranking positions.
Just four miles separate Spirit of Helsinki FI (71) and Maiden UK (03) in the battle for second place in line honours with less than 270 nm to Punta del Este.
Sterna SA (42) passes Cape Horn at 00:36 UTC, 9.5 miles off the infamous rock.
Explorer AU (28) loses steering 240 nm west of Cape Horn in 50k storm and 7 mtr seas – hove too for repairs and and finally on their way.

The stunning Pen Duick VI FR (14), skippered by the indomitable Marie Tabarly, roared across the Yacht Club Punta del Este finish line at 15:55 UTC on February 13th, taking first place in the Cape Horn leg of the MCINTYRE Ocean Globe Race. The sun came out to welcome the exuberant crew, who’ve fought extremely hard for the coveted 1st place in line honours in what many consider the most prestigious leg of the 8-month OGR circumnavigation.

In 25 knots winds and 3 meters seas, Pen Duick VI triumphed after 30 days of racing from Auckland, New Zealand to Punta del Este, Uruguay.

At 73 feet, the black-hulled Bermudan Ketch, the flagship of The Elemen’Terre Project whose aim is to raise public awareness of major environmental issues, is the biggest yacht in the OGR fleet. Pen Duick VI has a long, and what some might say complicated relationship with the Whitbread Round the World Race – Marie’s father Éric Tabarly first skippered Pen Duick VI in the 1973 Whitbread but was dismasted twice before retiring. And today, Marie proved again, without a doubt, what the iconic ketch is capable of. Marie has said it over and over again – strong winds are the kind of weather Pen Duick VI exactly excels in, and finally they got it in Leg 3.

The crew celebrated in style by jumping into the Yacht Club Punta del Este marina fully uniformed, cheered on by hundreds of enthusiastic supporters, many remembering the former Whitbread yachts visiting Punta del Este in Whitbread races of old.

Marie, who crossed the line suffering with a seriously painful toothache, admitted that while she’s delighted to have taken first place, it’s a bittersweet victory as her biggest rival Translated 9 has been forced to withdraw from leg 3 with hull damage. Cracks appeared after experiencing three broaches and a heavy knockdown in a storm. They retired and diverted to the Falkland Islands where they are now preparing to transport the yacht on a ship to PUNTA for repairs in the hope of rejoining the last leg of the OGR.

“A win is a win, if you want to win a race first you have to finish. You are going to win by keeping your boat, crew, and everything together. I would prefer to finish the rivalry with Translated but maybe they pushed too hard, there are a lot of maybes. I kept my boat together, I finished and I won. But it’s a bittersweet victory.” – MARIE TABARLY, SKIPPER OF PEN DUICK VI

“It’s great, all the support, the yachts sounding their horns. Fantastic. Yes, this leg was the big one. Point Nemo and Cape Horn made it very special indeed.” – SAID AN ECSTATIC TOM NAPPER, FIRST MATE OF PEN DUICK VI

“At some point, the wind stabilized between 40 knots, 45 knots, to 50 knots, then from 50 to 60 knots before dropping back to 50. It kept rising and falling, and the waves, well, there were waves and swells, some breaking waves, and the boat started to surf. We averaged about 12 knots throughout this low-pressure area, which amounts to approximately 270 nautical miles per day. We had beautiful days of consistent surfing between 20 and 23 knots. There was even a surf at 28.3 knots, which I think scared us all. We were all very frightened, but the boat was on fire completely. Steering was very challenging; those who are cold once they’re at the helm usually warm up in a few seconds because of this, plus the stress of being at the helm. And yeah, there are moments when you feel quite small, especially at the top of a wave, 7 to 10 meters high, looking at the vast ocean. It’s really when you’re at the top of the wave that you realize the immensity of the sea.” – MARIE TABARLY, SKIPPER OF PEN DUICK VI

Pen Duick VI’s arrival into Punta del Este coincides perfectly with the 100th anniversary celebration of Yacht Club Punta del Este. The club has a rich historic link to the Whitbread Round the World race and the club and the locals alike are delighted to see such a renowned yacht arriving first.