Newport, RI, which many consider the sailing capital of the U.S. if not the world, is all abuzz this week with the arrival of the seven Volvo Ocean Race boats after a quick Leg 8 from Brazil. Here’s the report in the Newport Daily News of the very dramatic finish in Newport Harbor.
By Scott Barrett
Sports Editor
NEWPORT — From out of the fog came the red boat, making a last-minute pass en route to a stunning victory on Leg 8 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
MAPFRE, a Spanish team, rallied to edge Team Brunel and win the 5,700-nautical-mile leg from Itajai, Brazil, to Newport that began on April 22. Sixteen days at sea, and it came down to the final minute. On the small stretch of sea that separates Newport from Jamestown, MAPFRE made up a 0.3-mile deficit and passed the Dutch team just as they rounded the northern tip of Fort Adams.
Officially, 61 seconds was the deciding margin.
“This is unbelievable,” MAPFRE skipper Xabi Fernández said after the wild finish. “I can’t be happier. We were always hoping to come back a little bit, but to be honest, we were not expecting to win this leg, so we’re super happy.” Read more.
