WHITE DOLPHIN WINNER
White Dolphin winner
A legend is born.At 3.49 p.m. (Barbados time) White Dolphin crossed the finishing line of the Panerai Transat Classique 2012 and added her name to the list of winners of this exceptional race for exceptional yachts. Under an unsettled sky, a mixture of sunshine and squalls, the big white yawl appeared on the horizon with all sail set. Her powerful bows, garlanded with a fine wave, were almost surfing over the swell. As she passed the Panerai buoy, the only route mark since the Canaries, the crew began to celebrate their victory with smoke flares billowing from the foredeck of their White Dolphin. Pascal, the owner, Yann, the skipper, Fred, Nicolas, Arnaud, Jean-Fabrice and Jordan were revelling in the moment. The committee boats soon met up to welcome them and pay tribute to their achievement. After an ultimate tack to drop her sails, White Dolphin entered the port of Bridgetown where a fantastic reception awaited her from the thousands of Barbadians standing on the quays. Barely had they set foot on land than the whole crew clambered on to the race stage in the company of Babados’s minister for tourism, who congratulated them enthusiastically in the manner of the inhabitants of this paradisiacal island. Pascal Stefani, emotional, happy, almost euphoric, took up the microphone to thank the Barbadians, and in particular the schoolchildren who had followed the race via the website of the Panerai Transat Classique 2012. Tonight is going to be a long night, full of memories and emotions.
“The Panerai Transat Classique 2012 has been an exceptional event for us. There was everything to play for right up until we crossed the line, so we trimmed like madmen. But it wasn’t all plain sailing, we broke a lot of gear—and yet we agreed, Yann and I, not to push the boat too hard. Fred was our superhero aboard and, among all the beautiful images of the sea, the sunsets, the surfing, of all those images the one that stands out for me is of Fred, bare-chested, with his welder’s helmet on, repairing the boom track. There was always a great atmosphere aboard; the crew were dedicated to achieving the same goal: sail White Dolphin fast. We are very happy to have crossed the finishing line first.”
