Team Legato projected finish:

• Tue. April 9th: FINISHED Sunday, April 22nd
• Tue. April 9th: ETA Thursday, April 19th
• Tue. April 3rd: ETA April 12th
• Wed. March 28th: ETA April 8th
• Sun. March 25th: ETA around April 2nd
• Fri. March 9th: ETA around March 30th

Team Legato - 'the Survivors' - FINISHED Sunday morning, 8:08 AM.

Team Legato crossed the finish line outside the official time limit, with a time of 104 days, 20 hours and 52 minutes. Team Legato will be granted an official finish by the race officials, however, to mark this epic circumnavigation.

Congratulations to Tony Bullimore (UK), Paul Larsen (AUS), Slava Sysenko (UKR), Fred Dahirel (FRA), Kevin Pahl (US), Mike Gettinger (US).

Team Legato was welcomed by about 250 Mexican Waves which have been taking part in the SNIM (Marseille International Sailing Week) and which had just left the Vieux Port to start racing. In the port of Marseille, the public, friends, family and journalists were waiting for the crew to arrive.

Team Legato’s press manager Barry Pickthall: "Anyone would have thought he had won The Race... but it’s definitely a case of last but not least."

It was now time for medical attention to Slava Sysenko's broken tibia, that occured Tuesday, April 10th, 5 days ago.

Team Legato was the oldest boat to have entered the race and was helmed by the oldest helsman Tony Bullimore. She lowered her sails in front of the Digue des Catalans in Marseilles at 10h08 local time Sunday morning, and is now at the quai des Belges.

Bullimore: "I feel fantastic. I’ve got a cold bottle of beer, had a few snacks and feel fantastic! We’ve worked so hard to get round that it is really good to finally finish. Fantastic! And the reception we received was unbelievable. It makes all the hardship and horrors we’ve suffered seem worthwhile."

On his immediate plans: "We will stay here in Marseilles for a couple of days, before returning to Palma [in the Canary Islands] to have the wingmast mast checked by Carbospars. Then we will sail back home to Bristol in a couple of weeks for a mini refit, then head to the Isle of Wight (southern England), for the annual Cowes Week Regatta."

Team Legato's last 24 hour average distance was 150.8 miles, with an average speed of 6.3 knots.

The last days were not without excitement, Slava Sysenko, the 47-year-old Ukrainian crewman, while trying to reef down a headsail in strong head winds, fractured his leg when they were hit by a wave that broke over the netting on the approach to Gibraltar on Tuesday, April 10th.

Slava: "A large wave knocked me off balance, it pushed me over, but my foot was caught under the headsail and I twisted it badly."

Slava broke his left tibia at a point where the bone had been broken in a previous accident some years ago. After being helped back into the shelter of the cockpit, Tony Bullimore applied an anti-inflammatory bandage and splint to the leg, and he was then put to rest in Tony's bunk in the central pod.

Slava insisted on Team Legato not stopping in Gibraltar to drop him off for medical attention...
"No. I am determined to finish the race. There will be no more stops. The leg is well strapped up and I am not in much pain. I can stay here for another 3-4 days. I do not want to get off the boat."

Bullimore: "For the moment, I am prepared to bow to Slava's wishes, but if conditions get too bad or I believe that the pain or discomfort he may be feeling gets worse, I will have no hesitation in heading for the nearest port. My first priority is the safety and welfare of my crew, but I fully understand Slava's wishes. As circumnavigations go, this has been one of the toughest. He wants to complete this challenge as much as any of us and it is this spirit that epitomises the strength of character that runs right through this Team Legato crew."

Map images courtesy of Virtual Spectator, click here to go to The Race site for a free download of the software.

Club Med in blue Innovation Explorer is in green Warta Polpharma is yellow

Team Adventure is in orange Team Legato is in brick-red PlayStation is in orange-red

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