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Jourdain wins Regatta Rubicon

Jourdain won both legs of the race

SANTA MARGHERITA, Italy -- Frenchman Rolain Jourdain, in the Open 60 monohull Sill Plein Fruit, has won the Regatta Rubicon after taking first place in the race's second leg.

Jourdain sailed the 1999 Marc Lombard-designed monohull from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands to Santa Margherita, Italy, in seven days, 10 hours and 12 minutes at an average speed of 8.21 knots.

Race favourite Jourdain said: "The Mediterranean really dished out the works. The mistral conditions which brought us home was such an invigorating experience. We were sleigh riding through mountains of spray for most of the final stretch, the only thing we didn't do was fly!"

Swiss skipper Bernard Stamm on Bobst Group Armor Lux took second place, finishing two hours and 40 minutes behind Jourdain.

Stamm built up enough time ahead of Nick Maloney in Kingfisher, who won second place in leg one, to take second place overall in the Regatta Rubicon.

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Stamm, who broke the monohull sailing record across the Atlantic in 2001, said: "The last 24 hours reminded me of the Atlantic Record crossing. It was like being in a submarine!"

Swiss skipper Dominique Wavre and his crew on Temenos won third place.

Maloney, standing in as skipper of Kingfisher for Ellen MacArthur, who is sailing with Alain Gautier on the 60-foot trimaran Foncia on the Course des Phares, finished fourth and was able to take third place overall for the combined legs.

The Regatta Rubicon, the first offshore race of the Open 60 monohull season, is a fully-crewed contest for the 60-foot monohulls that are usually associated with single-handed racing.

The two-leg race took the fleet into the Mediterranean from St. Nazaire, France, to Santa Margherita, on the west coast of Italy, via the Canary Islands off the north west coast of Africa. Total prize money for the race was 76,200 Euros.

The solo Around Alone, the next and biggest competition of the year for the Open 60 monohulls, sets off from New York, U.S. on September 15.

Regatta Rubicon Positions: Leg Two

Regatta Rubicon Overall Positions