Paprec-Virbac 2 Wins Barcelona World Race
By Staff | April 2008
At 20h 49.49 on Feb. 11 — day 93 at sea — Jean-Pierre Dick and Damian Foxall steered their yacht Paprec-Virbac 2 across the finish line to win the Barcelona World Race. The 25,000-mile nonstop journey around the planet took exactly three months and was an impressive display of speed and seamanship. The 60 ft/18.2m long Paprec-Virbac 2 features a carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg design by Farr Yacht Design (Annapolis, Md.). It was launched Feb. 2, 2007, at Southern Ocean Marine in New Zealand.
“This was our whole life, and all our energy and we are obviously very emotional,” said skipper Jean-Pierre Dick, leaning over the lifelines and addressing the media as his boat pulled up to the pontoon in Barcelona. Offshore sailing legend Dame Ellen MacArthur paid tribute to the pair at the finish.
The victory was impressive. The French-Irish duo held the lead for the majority of the race, fending off early challenges from the six other competitors to grab the lead for good on Dec. 7, 2007, despite several obstacles. Deep in the southern latitudes, Paprec-Virbac 2 had to be steered around icebergs on several occasions, escaping unscathed, but shortly after passing through Cook Strait, the boat struck an object in the water, seriously damaging the rudder system. Dick and Foxall were able to effect repairs without stopping.
