Please select your home edition
Edition
C-Tech 2021 SnuffAir 728x90 TOP

Unai Basurko celebrates third overall

by Justine Ozoux on 6 May 2007
Even a huge thunder storm with lightening and hail couldn’t dampen the mood in Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain) this morning. The Basque people came out in their thousands to hail their local hero, Unai Basurko, as he completed the VELUX 5 OCEANS around the world yacht race.

With hundreds of boats out on the water and thousands lining the shore along the entire river entrance, a jubilant Basurko celebrated a podium finish, beating Sir Robin Knox-Johnston into third place in the overall rankings. Although he finished fourth in the third leg from Norfolk, Virginia (USA), behind the British sailing legend, he managed to arrive in time to secure third.

As Basurko crossed the finish line at 10:03 local time (08:03 GMT), a flotilla of hundreds followed the Basque skipper up to the Puente Colgante bridge, Basurko’s spiritual landmark, before returning to the port of Gexto. Thousands of fans lined the route and welcomed their hero into Gexto. 158 days, 18 hours and 25 minutes after leaving home, a proud Basurko jumped off PAKEA and joined the elite group of people who have sailed around the world alone. He is the only rookie to have completed The Ultimate Solo Challenge in this edition, a testament to his dedication and passion for his sport.

Speaking from the crowded marina in Gexto, Basurko commented, 'I am very pleased to be on land and to see so many friendly places. It has been such an amazing welcome home. I have done it! I have done it! It is a moment that you imagine during the entire journey, normally with sunshine, certainly not with strong winds and rain. To see so many people despite the weather and the big seas is brilliant. It shows that the people have engaged with the race and understand how difficult it is to sail around the world. I am the rookie of the race, and with so little time to prepare my boat I never expected to get to Fremantle let alone finish third. I have overcome all the problems and gone from nothing to everything.'

'I hadn’t seen land since America, I didn’t see Galicia or Asturias because of the cloud, so the first land I saw was my home, the Basque Country. It was very emotional arriving here. PAKEA left but PAKEA returned. You have to enjoy it and be part of it. There are lots of bad moments, but for every bad moment there are three or four good moments. This is the best moment and thinking of coming home has kept me going through the hardest points.'

David Adams, Race Director of the VELUX 5 OCEANS, added, 'Unai’s spectacular arrival marks the end of what has been an incredible race since day one. The Basque people have taken this race and our skippers into their hearts and it was fitting that we should celebrate the end of the race with Unai’s arrival and his podium finish. Unai is a young skipper and has constantly improved as the race continued and he got to know his boat. He certainly deserves the third place finish and the welcome he received from Bilbao was very much deserved.'

www.velux5oceans.com
Maritimo M50Mackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOMZhik 2024 December

Related Articles

All smiles among first finishers of the AEGEAN 600
The fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion As the fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion and made their way to the harbour at Olympic Marine, there were exhausted smiles all around.
Posted on 10 Jul
British Classic Week day 4
It was a classic Solent day in Cowes for the OneSails inshore race It was a classic Solent day in Cowes for day 4 of British Classic Week with hot temperatures, sunshine and no breeze in the morning before the sea breeze kicked in from the west and it was time to go racing.
Posted on 10 Jul
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 5
Finalists locked in for new Medal Series format With the sea breeze stubbornly refusing to make an appearance, Day 5 of the iQFOiL World Championship turned into a long waiting game both ashore and on the water.
Posted on 10 Jul
Jazz Turner Video Interview
How she Faced Everything And Rose during Project FEAR I travelled to Brighton Marina to catch up with Jazz, talking about her own sailing, the challenges she faced during the circumnavigation, how the money raised will be used, and a glimpse of her future projects!
Posted on 10 Jul
CYCS SailMV's Vineyard Cup Preview
The regatta will feature stunning classics racing around the beautiful island of Martha's Vineyard. The second Classic Yacht Challenge Series (CYCS) event of the 2025 season gets under way on Friday, July 11 with the Vineyard Cup organized by Sail Martha's Vineyard (SailMV).
Posted on 10 Jul
America's Cup: Luna Rossa to sail for Naples club.
Italian Challenger Luna Rossa will contest the next America's Cup as the team of a Naples club. Italian Challenger Luna Rossa will contest its seventh America's Cup as the team of the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia of Naples, as club that is new to the America's Cup.
Posted on 10 Jul
International Moth Worlds at Lake Garda Day 3
Big breeze in the morning, calm in the afternoon The third day of racing at the 2025 Moth World Championship kicked off early, with the first warning signal for the Blue fleet scheduled for 8:30 AM. Due to strong northerly winds, however, the fleet's departure was postponed to 9:00.
Posted on 10 Jul
Introducing the Micro Gateway from Cyclops Marine
Live load data, simplified - smaller, smarter, even more connected At Cyclops Marine, we're driven by the pursuit of precision, performance, and progress. As the marine industry continues to embrace digital transformation, our technology is evolving rapidly.
Posted on 10 Jul
Everything to know about The Ocean Race Europe
One month to go to the race start in Kiel One month out from the start of the 2025 edition of The Ocean Race Europe seven mixed-gender crews made up of sailors from across 13 nations are in the throes of their final preparations for the Race start in Kiel, Germany.
Posted on 10 Jul
The countdown to the Race to Mackinac
2025 is a landmark year for the Chicago Yacht Club 2025 is a landmark year for the Chicago Yacht Club and the Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust Financial Corporation.
Posted on 10 Jul