RACES AND REGATTAS
LMAX EXCHANGE CLAIMED VICTORY in Leg 1 from London to
Rio de Janeiro in the 40,000-nautical-mile Clipper Round the World
Race. Chinese entry Qingdao took second place, and GREAT Britain
followed to secure the fi nal podium position.
As well as claiming the maximum 12 points for the win, LMAX
Exchange also won three bonus points for crossing the Scoring Gate
fi rst, getting its race campaign started with a 15-point total.
“I’m very confi dent in my crew who did a great job,” says LMAX
Exchange Skipper Oliver Cardin. “I know the teams behind are really
competitive so we are certainly not taking this win for granted. We
will take time together to study our plan for
the next race as we will be pushed hard again,
but for now it is time to celebrate a team
victory that we will never forget as long as
we live.”
Second place fi nisher Qingdao steadily
improved its position throughout the race.
Aft er duelling with Garmin in the early and
middle stages of the race Qingdao, which
represents China’s ‘Sailing City’, moved up
to second place on day 18 and kept ahead of
chasing boats including GREAT Britain.
Mission Performance celebrated aft er
recording the fastest time over the Ocean
Sprint portion of the race, earning two
additional points. Th e team fi nished the sprint
in 28 hours and 46 minutes.
Leg 1 of the Clipper Race was not without
misfortune, as the fi rst fatality in the race’s
history was reported. IchorCoal crewmember
Andrew Ashman, a 49-year-old paramedicCLIPPER ROUND THE WORLD RACE – LEG 1
from Kent, England, failed to regain consciousness aft er being knocked
out by a mainsheet.
Th e IchorCoal crew made the collective decision to continue on with
the race in Ashman’s honour.
As a lasting tribute, the Atlantic Ocean Sprint section of the race
was named in Ashman’s honour. Th e fastest team, Mission Performance,
was awarded the Andy Ashman Memorial Plate in Rio. Th e plate will
continue to be awarded in future editions of the Clipper Race.
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