Fantastic Fifth For Skandia's Sam

Sam Davies and co-skipper Jeanne Gregoire crossed the finish line of the Figaro transatlantic this morning, Wednesday 12th May at 0639GMT after racing flat out for 20 days 18 hours 39 minutes and 50 seconds to take 5th place.

Groupe SCE-Le Télégramme (Armel Le Cléac’h, Nicolas Troussel) crossed the line last night at the local time of 16:49 (20:49GMT) to become the champions of this 7th Figaro transatlantic with Banque Populaire (Pascal Bidégorry, Sidney Gavignet) finishing in second place just 1 hour 30minutes behind.

Intensely close racing has dominated this event right to the finish. Positions constantly changed during the final 48-hours as the fleet gybed downwind to the island of St. Barts, with Sam, onboard Tropheé BPE Saint-Nazaire-Cuba, battling several strong contenders for the final podium place. It made for a gripping finale to this exceptional race. By the early hours of this morning it was apparent the boats to the south had gained more favourable winds on their approach to the island with Port Trébeurden (Romain Attanasio and Nicolas Bérenger) taking 3rd, Bostik-Findley (Charles Caudrelier and Antoine Koch) 4th. After 21 days at sea Sam and Jeanne finished less than 10 hours behind, taking 5th position in a highly competitive fleet.

Speaking from the dock shortly after arrival Sam said, "It might have looked good on the positions based on distance to go, but we knew we wouldn’t be able to hold 3rd place because we were coming in from the north - and unfortunately the wind was unusually coming from the North East - so we were gybing downwind while the guys behind, and to the south, were reaching in much faster. But we were ecstatic to beat Delta Dore and finish in the top 5. Really I’ve never been happier about a result as this"

This 3760 mile race has tested every element of the sailors' skills and is a great reminder of how thrilling one design Figaro racing can be with boats match racing with each other Mid Atlantic under full sail in 30knots of breeze. Throughout the race's 21 days Sam, Jeanne and their boat have preformed exceptionally amongst a fleet of some of the most experienced Figaro sailors in the world.

With the delayed start resulting in the stopover in Madeira being cancelled the event became the longest single journey in the Figaro's history, yet the top pack have remained in incredibly close proximity throughout the crossing, with little more than 10 miles separating them for much of the Atlantic. Competition has been fierce from the outset with rankings changing at every position poll. The importance of the decisions taken by crews at Madeira in preparation for their transatlantic dash became apparent in the closing miles of the event. Cercle Vert, who took a northerly route and pulled away to lead the fleet through the mid Atlantic, dropped back through the fleet in the final stages. Sam and Jeanne’s choice to take a position several degrees below Cercle Vert paid off well, especially five days ago when they caught a favourable lift at the back of a low pressure system, pushing them up the rankings.

"We are really happy with how we sailed. It worked great with Jeanne. When we passed the buoy at Madeira in 6th we couldn’t believe it, and then each morning with a new classement [position report] we would be surprised we were still right up there. I was physically sick with the stress of the continual race pressure in the first few days after Madeira, and I would dream all the time about the tactics and sail trim...I am so looking forward now to rest for a few days!"

In this race, her first event of 2004, Sam has made a promising start to year, smashing her personal best in the Figaro fleet to date. Supported by Skandia her aim of this 3-year Figaro campaign is to become one of the best sailors in the circuit and after being ranked as 2nd place rookie in 2003 this result is another encouraging progression towards her goal. Her training with the elite Figaro squad at Port La Foret through the winter months improving both her boat handling and tactical skills. This morning Sam commented "Having the secure backing of Skandia in my Figaro campaign has helped enormously in allowing me to focus on my long term aims. When I am out at sea racing and when I am ashore planning my campaign it is incredibly reassuring to know I have the support and encouragement of Skandia behind me."

It seems fitting that Sam’s fast progress across the Atlantic will allow her to be back in the UK in time for the launch of Skandia Set Sail team mate Nick Moloney’s Open 60 on May 17th, the boat the two of them raced together across the Atlantic last November. "Being back in time to support Nick and to have a chance to see some more of the Skandia Set Sail team will be great. Once that is complete I look forward to getting back to my Figaro 'Skandia' though and begin preparations for the first solo event of the season, the Generali Méditérannée starting on the 12th June."