Gaëtan Thomas, 30, from Brussels, the first Belgian Skipper in the 22 year history of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, has claimed third place after a fast and furious 12 day race across the North Atlantic from New York, USA, to Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland in the twelfth of thirteen races that forms the circuit.
Thomas’ team Garmin finished the 3,000 nautical mile long race in third place, just 45 minutes behind second placed Unicef and four hours behind race winner Visit Seattle.
Skipper Gaëtan comments: “What a great result! My pirates worked so hard and I am so proud of them. We knew the Atlantic was going to be tough but to be in the top three for most of the race is really something to be proud of.”
Garmin spent much of the early stages of Race 12 less than 10 nautical miles astern of Unicef, HotelPlanner.com, Dare To Lead, and Sanya Serenity Coast, and could physically see Visit Seattle when it went for the Scoring Gate on Day 7.
The decision to go for the Scoring Gate paid dividends with Garmin collecting one bonus point, which will help the currently fourth ranked team stay towards the top of the standings. In addition to this they were the second fastest team in the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint – boosting their points total for Race 12 by a further two.
This is the third consecutive race that Garmin has partnered with the Clipper Race. As well as being a Team Partner, Garmin is also the Official Action Camera Supplier and Official Marine Electronics Parther, supplying cutting edge cameras and navigation equipment across the fleet.
The Clipper 2017-18 Race fleet has now covered over 39,000 of the race’s 40,000 nautical mile route since Race Start in Liverpool, UK on 20 August.
The final race, Race 13, of the Clipper 2017-18 Race starts on Sunday 22 July, departing Derry-Londonderry for a short race around Ireland to Liverpool, UK. The circumnavigation will conclude on Saturday 28 July with a sprint finish up the River Mersey to Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool, where celebrations will begin.
Gaëtan Thomas