Joe Harris First American to Win a Division of the Transat Jacques Vabre
MARBLEHEAD, MA - Nov 24, 2005 - Joe Harris, competing in the gruelling 4,500 mile Transat Jacques Vabre, became the first American sailor to win a division of this premiere ocean race when he sailed his 50-foot yacht Gryphon Solo across the finish line in Salvador, Brazil. With his co-skipper, Briton Josh Hall, at his side both sailors kept racing hard until the red hulled yacht slipped silently across the line in All Saints Bay. The sound of African drum beats rang out across the still water as celebrations on land got underway. Their official finish time of 23:05:45 GMT gave them an elapsed time for the course of 19 days, 9 hours, 5 minutes and 45 seconds.
"It feels great to be first across the line in our division," a jubilant Joe Harris said shortly after docking in Salvador. "This win has been a long time coming and it's all the more sweeter for it. We had some lucky breaks and would like to extend our congratulations to Kip Stone and Merf Owen on Artforms who put up a great chase after suffering a setback early in the race. They kept us sailing our best and that effort is now rewarded with a win. I would also like to congratulate Servane Escoffier and Bertrand de Broc on Vedettes de Br閔a for their terrific spirit that kept us on our toes all the way to Salvador."
Harris, one of America's new generation of solo sailors, is preparing for the upcoming 5-Oceans around-the-world-race. By choosing Josh Hall as co-skipper for the Transat Jacques Vabre Harris is deliberately making an effort to learn from the best in order to become the best. "Josh was just a great crewmate," Harris said. "His determination and ability to push hard really taught me that winning is all about effort. One hundred percent effort, one hundred percent of the time. It's also about attitude and we will both long remember these 19 days spent together on board Gryphon Solo for many years.
To arrange an interview with Joe please email bhancock@gryphonsolo.com. Low res images are available for use at www.jacques-vabre.com. Contact Mary Ambler at mary.ambler@xalt.co.uk to arrange for high res images.
- The Gryphon Solo Team
