Temenos II claims third place in the Barcelona World Race

"We have been really happy with the boat and it is sad to leave it," said the Swiss Skipper, "It is all a bit confusing in my head for the moment - the race is ending, it is a nice life and we always want this kind of sailing to continue. I will need one or two days to take it all in."

Partners in real life as well as a winning combination on the water; Wavre and Paret have 8 circumnavigations between them, the Swiss-French tandem have overcome adversity and faced the extremes of this first edition of the Barcelona World Race up to the very end; battling harsh conditions in the Straits of Gibraltar before enjoying the last few days in some welcome calmer Mediterranean sailing conditions.

"We didn’t really talk much." said Michele when asked about their last moments at sea, "We looked at each other and said to ourselves 'well, that’s that, we’ve done it'. We left a little room for emotion and it was as if we were closing the door on the race. But we are here at restaurant time this evening and we’re keen to indulge in the pleasures of land!" added the experienced French yachtswoman laughing.

Solid and experienced
The solid Owen-Clarke design launched in 2006 proved to be fast and competitive in the rest of the fleet from the start; Temenos II passed Gibraltar in 4th place, although their descent into the Atlantic proved more of a challenge mixing up the pack, and leaving the Swiss-French tandem back in 7th position at the Canary Islands and 6th at the Fernando de Noronha Scoring Gate.

As the fleet headed south Temenos II opted to stay further north, 5th at the Cape of Good Hope but moving up a position amid the catastrophic events thrown up early on by the Southern Ocean and forcing the retirement of PRB with mast damage, Estrella Damm with rudder problems, and the dismasting of Delta Dore - all within a week of each other.

The Indian Ocean moved the team from 4th to 3rd place as Veolia Environment’s race came to a tragic conclusion with their dismasting.

Keel problems and a pit stop
However a podium position was far from assured. On 17th December, well into the roaring forties of the southern Ocean and over two weeks sailing from New Zealand - Dominique Wavre declared that Temenos II would be making a pit stop in Wellington.

The discovery of a small corroded area on the keel suddenly put the future of Temenos II entry in the race at peril, and the anxiety of sailing the boat as conservatively as possible to keep the risk of damage to a minimum,

“We prefer to head further north avoid the strong winds and protect the keel,” said the Swiss skipper after the shocking find, “Our aim is to get the boat to Wellington to check everything thoroughly. We are ok, but sad to feel our boat hurting.”

Before reaching New Zealand where the technical team was able to assess and repair the keel damage, Dominique and Michele had to endure the nerve-wracking uncertainty of their situation and battle the harsh gales and fury of the South. But 48 hours in Wellington launched them back into the race with renewed confidence and boat performance.

A battle in the south
One of the most exciting and intense battles of the race was about to take on new meaning.
After a chase into the Cook Strait and a corresponding pit stop in Wellington, Spanish team Mutua Madrileña became the Swiss-French team’s major rivals – an incredible match race unfolded with just a couple of hundred miles between the two boats in the Pacific Ocean (and coming to as close as 35 miles in the south Atlantic).

The fastest boat from Cape Horn to Fernando de Noronha, Temenos II kept their Spanish contingent at bay, rapidly reaching Gibraltar and fighting against the elements of the Straits to establish a solid 200 mile lead over Mutua Madrileña and assure their podium position at last.

Mutua Madrileña is due to arrive in Barcelona tomorrow afternoon, with the current ETA 1800 GMT.

Dominique Wavre (Temenos II)