Team Alvimedica skipper Charlie Enright won the final offshore battle of the Volvo Ocean Race today in Sweden, but the overall trophy belonged to his rival from Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, skipper Ian Walker.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing won the 12th edition of the race after finishing fifth in the ninth and final leg.
The Turkish/American challenger Team Alvimedica led the tightly packed fleet home to crowded docks in the final stopover in Gothenburg, Sweden, to bring to a close 38,739 nautical miles and nine months of some of the closest racing ever witnessed in the 41-year-old offshore marathon.
The Team Alvimedica victory underlined, once more, the incredibly close nature of competition in the first ever event raced with strictly one-design Volvo Ocean 65 boats. Only one team, Team Vestas Wind, has failed to win a leg — and it missed five because of a boat rebuild.
