Pindar 40 girls finish Transat Jacques Vabre

by PR on 29 Nov 2007 Jo Royle (GBR) and Alexia Barrier (FRA), the all-girl crew aboard Pindar 40 finished the Transat Jacques Vabre race at 00:56:08 (CET) today.

After 24 days at sea, Royle and Barrier were exhausted but elated as they crossed the finish line off Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Met by a group of family and friends, the girls had a colourful welcome to the much-awaited beaches of Brazil.

The only all-female crew in the competitive 30 boat Class 40 fleet, the girls finished the race in a commendable 24 days, 10 hours, 56 minutes and eight seconds, just one day and 21 hours behind the Class 40 winners, Télécom Italia.

Recording an average speed of 7.39 knots over their total time at sea, the girls finished in 19th place overall, exactly four hours behind 18th placed French boat En Avant Les Enfants! 28 boats in total are expected to complete the course, with two boats having retired from the race to date.

Jo Royle, from Preston, Lancashire, commented:

'Alexia and I are absolutely elated to be here in Salvador. The race has been brilliant and we have enjoyed every minute of it – both the highs and the lows. It has been a dream of mine to do the Transat Jacques Vabre for many years, and it just hasn’t even begun to sink in that we have completed it yet. Our boat, and home for almost four weeks, Pindar 40, has been great but it was a wonderful feeling to finally step on dry land early this morning. We’ve already had our first fresh meal and are so looking forward a soft bed and comfy pillow to catch up on some much needed sleep.'

For more information, and to see the girls’ regular blogs and updates from the race, please visit: www.pindar.com/teampindar