Prizegiving and Final Farewell: McIntyre Ocean Globe Leg 4 Race start tomorrow

It was a perfect night for raising a toast to epic achievements and adventure at the McIntyre Ocean Globe prize-giving ceremony. The crews of the 13 classic yachts racing around the world in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Whitbread Round the World Race donned their sparkle and stilettos for a night of well-justified back-slapping. Graciously hosted by the Yacht Club Punta del Este, the wine flowed, epic sailing tales were retold and crews relieved shared experiences as only new Cape Horners can.

The celebrations kicked off with the Leg 4 crew (Punta del Este to Cowes, UK) being presented with the coveted ‘OGR Gold Coin’ – awarded to all OGR sailors. Gold bulkhead plates were then presented to all yachts completing Leg 3 (Auckland to Punta del Este). Yacht Club Punta del Este also awarded each yacht with a plaque commemorating their exceptional stopover in the stylish sunny Uruguayan resort.

The Yacht Club Punta del Este was then recognized by the Ocean Globe Race for their outstanding support during the immensely successful stopover. A race “Globe” was presented to the club as a token of thanks and a nod of recognition for the hopeful return of the OGR in 2027!

The leg three awards presentation followed with the French yacht Triana Fr (66), skippered by Jean D’Arthuys, being awarded the much-coveted overall prize for 1st in IRC. The crew of the Swan 53, one of the smallest yachts in the fleet, also picked up the award for first in Adventure Class. Continually impressive, the determined team includes legendary sailor Sébastien Audigane, who will soon run out of fingers to count the number of times he’s already been around Cape Horn! The Triana sailors are ready to take on leg 4 and maintain their extraordinary winning streak.

Next up were Spirit of Helsinki FI (71) taking first in Sayula Class. The impressive Swan 651, a former Whitbread boat formerly known as Fazer Finland, is skippered by Jussi Paavoseppä. He’s looking forward to another close race with friends and sometimes foes onboard Maiden UK (03). The two yachts match raced from Cape Horn to Punta del Este with just minutes separating their final results.

Skipper Marie Tabarly and her Pen Duick VI crew were the next to grace the stage and pick up the award for first in Flyer Class and first in line honours. The legendary Pen Duick VI finally got the conditions he was built for, and it showed with the results. And for the tactics for leg 4?

However, she may well have been smiling when relaying the line, but it’s no doubt that’s the actual plan!

Speaking of the success of the first three legs of the OGR, Don McIntyre, OGR founder, recognized the work and dedication shown by the 247 sailors who’ll have set sail as part of the inaugural event.

And then, to a drum roll, it was announced that the final McIntyre Ocean Globe Race prize giving is to take place on June 21st in Rome, hosted by Translated 9. Events will commence on the evening of the 21st at the Translated 9 PI Campus in Rome, where the final awards of the OGR will be presented. Celebrations will continue the following day with a beach party at the Tognazzi Marine Village in Ostia Lido.

The former Whitbread yacht Translated 9 ITL (09), diverted to the Falkland Islands to repair cracks in their hull discovered after passing Cape Horn. After receiving outside assistance, this disqualified from Leg 3 ranking under the Notice of Race. But, after two weeks of mammoth effort, the Swan 65, formerly known as ADC Accutrac when sailed in the 1977 Whitbread, has made it to Punta del Este and plans to start with the fleet for race start on March 5th.

Ville Norra, Galiana WithSecure FI (06) was not only the warm-up act, but the middle and finale!! His guitar, singing and presence stole the show, making him without a doubt the unofficial OGR pop star!

But, as far as WOW Factor!! The crew of White Shadow ESP (17) certainly won the prize for surprise value with their costumes and performance of rewritten version of ‘Bella Ciao’ which will give Ville Norra’s “Port Tack” classic a run for its money in the charts.

The Outlaw AU (08) crew raised a laugh and toast with entertaining reworked lyrics to the tune of Yellow Submarine. While the passion of the family and friends onboard Evrika dressed to impress for their musical performance – displaying a definite French flavour – also won over the crowd.

Maiden UK (03) never fails to entertain and didn’t disappoint – wearing their ‘famous’ Maiden shorts, woolly hats, gloves, and sailing boats they got the crowd going with their rendition of “California Girls” and rap!

Neptune FR (56), L’Esprit d’équipe FR (85) and Explorer AU (28) also got the crowd going with their performances and proved there is a lot more to these crews than just being talented sailors!