Team Cowes finishes Transat Jacques Vabre

by Team Cowes on 20 Nov 2003 Australian Nick Moloney and co-skipper Sam Davies from the U.K sailing Team Cowes crossed the finish line in the Transat Jacques Vabre at 0957GMT in sixth place after the long hard-fought battle with VMI for fifth place came to an end.

Moloney and Davies were totally becalmed just 2.5 miles from the finish line off Salvador, completing the 4,340 mile course in 17 days, 19 hours, 57 mins and 35 secs, averaging a boat speed of 10.14 knots.
The pair came within 12 miles of VMI in the final few hours of the race, having reduced the distance from 63 miles in the last 24 hours, but it was too little too late as the VMI skippers, Sébastien Josse and Isabelle Autissier, protected their position and crossed the finish line at 0712GMT.
Moloney said on finishing, ‘two and a half miles from the finish and we had no wind - the ocean was like glass - so we just had to sit it out to the line. It was just a fantastic battle right to the very end - and we take our hats off to Séb and Isabelle who just kept pushing hard all the time. This race has been incredibly close, not just for us, but for the top three boats above us and in the 60-foot multis as well. It's quite incredible to think you are racing these kind of distances with only minutes and hours separating us at the finish. I love it!
It has been a great, great, race and we raced this boat as hard as we could - we had to try a few different things tactically to keep up with the leaders but overall we are happy with our performance and how we sailed the boat. Sam has been a great co-skipper and quickly got her head round sailing Team Cowes and I think she's pretty into it now!
It was a really tough race too and we will sit down and think about the mistakes we've made. We didn't break much and we didn't stop at all - we had no real major lightwind patches, but we need to reassess the track and ask ourselves some questions, work out where we've went wrong and work out how we can sail her faster.
We've only got just over a week to prepare Team Cowes and me(!) for the solo race back to France - the objective being to complete my qualifier for the 2004 Vendée Globe. There is a fair bit to do but I may just take it easy today.!’
Open 60 Final Positions - 19.11.03

Pstn/Boat Name/Finish Times

1st Virbac / 16d 15h 18m 5s

2nd Sill / 16d 22h 9m 11s

3rd Ecover / 16d 22h 28m 37s

4th PRB / 17d 8h 16m 44s

5th VMI / 17d 17h 12m 42s

6th TEAM COWES / 17d 19h 57m 35s

Team Cowes Transat Jacques Vabre campaign is supported by Skandia and Cowes Waterfront

For TJV Race Information go to www.jacques-vabre.com