White Dolphin wins trans-Atlantic boat race
12/24/2012
White Dolphin and its seven-member crew sailed away as champions of the prestigious Panerai Transat Classique, ending their 20-day sail across the Atlantic on Saturday in the Bridgetown Careenage.
White Dolphin had passed the finish line, just off the south-coast, at 3:49 p.m., and sailed into the inner harbour of the Careenage about 5:45 p.m. White Dolphin had also won the second leg of the race.
Hundreds of Barbadians were on hand for its arrival as it coincided with the Christmas in the City event in Independence Square, which was organised by the Barbados Tourism Authority.
Owner of White Dolphin, Pascal Stefani, was happy with the win, especially since they made it over the line a full day earlier than expected.
“There was everything to play for right up until we crossed the line, so we trimmed like madmen. But it wasn’t all plain sailing, we broke a lot of gear and we agreed not to push the boat too hard. We are very happy to have crossed the finishing line first,” said Stefani.
Taking second place was Red Hackle with Blue Peter third.
Barbados has played host to major sailing events in the past few years, including the World Fireball Championships in 2010. The 505 World Championships in 2013 is the next major international sailing event scheduled for Barbados.