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The Official
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'It's a disappointing result,' said skipper Loz MARRIOTT (GBR) just after crossing the line. 'It's been very frustrating for the crew and myself [because] we've performed so much better in the past.'
Talking about their results in previous legs MARRIOTT said, 'We were feeling good about our progression and development as a team and it showed from Wellington to Sydney and Sydney to Cape Town, but something went wrong on this leg ... we need to discuss it as a team, learn from our mistakes and bounce back for the next leg.'
'This leg has been one of the hardest team-motivating and self- motivating exercises I have ever taken on board,' continued MARRIOTT. 'And for the crew as well ... they had to work hard with each other to keep the smiles on their faces, but when you get to know people you can see past the smiles and see the disappointment. We have to put this leg behind us ... and try and find the 'mojo' that allowed us to do well in legs three and four!'
As their leg drew to a close, Pindar had to endure the frustrations of variable winds on the run in to the line, a fate which is also fell on several other teams.
'Boston is so close ... yet so far (with the amount of wind we are getting!)' - crew volunteer Cathy DAVIS expressed the thoughts of the whole team in their daily log earlier today. Even as they approached the line, Race HQ were reporting varying speeds with each new position report, but after 37 days, 14 hours, 19 minutes and 2 seconds, they crossed the line.
'It's difficult to keep up morale when you know you're last,' wrote crew volunteer Nick WHITE yesterday, 'and in the relatively short distance left it's unlikely we can change that.'
'It's at times like this that to keep up morale we need to look at the bigger picture of what we have achieved throughout the race,' he continued. 'A circumnavigation for fourteen members of the crew. Rounding the three great Capes of the Southern Ocean. Sailing the wrong way round the world.'
'For many a greater mileage of sailing in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern. Just sailing for some of the crew who had never sailed before they joined the Challenge. Taking part in the world's toughest yacht race.'
'The Atlantic has been very benign to us this leg but it can throw up some atrocious weather. We must prepare for the worst and hope for the best and get it right this time. A podium position at La Rochelle and first over the finish at Portsmouth!! Thinking like that keeps the spirits up - it's not all over yet.'
The team's past results have proven they are capable of challenging for the lead positions, but for now they are celebrating their arrival in Boston.
Team Save the Children crossed the line at 12:20:52 local time (16:52:20 GMT) yesterday to end their race from Cape Town to Boston in eleventh place.
In all they were racing for 37 days, 4 hours, 20 minutes and 52 seconds. They are now on their way to the pontoon to celebrate their arrival; all reportedly delighted to be on their way to fresh food and a welcome beer...
Speaking just after crossing the line, skipper Paul KELLY (GBR) said: 'Everyone's really chuffed [to cross the line] - we sailed the boat really well for the last couple of weeks and made up a lot of ground, and reduced our deficit from the front.'
'Obviously it's a disappointment to come in where we did but they way we've got to look at it is that we could have come in an awful lot further back had we given up. At no stage did we give up, we just kept going.'