2ND PLACE IN LEG 4 OF RBI FOR FUJIFILM PRESS RELEASE 21ST JUNE

Having battled gales and enormous seas, professional yachtsman Alex Bennett from Plymouth and co skipper Malcolm Dickinson can claim another victory in the Shetland Round Britain and Ireland Race. Despite the atrocious conditions in the North Sea they held their position and finished the 4th leg in 2nd place and now also 2nd overall. Fujifilm crossed the finish line at Lowestoft at 21:05 on Sunday night.

They set out from Lerwick on Friday evening with a forecast of Force 9 gales in the North Sea and had survival conditions for at least 12 hours. Fujifilm suffered a number of knockdowns by 8 metre high waves. During one incident Alex was washed out of the cockpit and had to clamber back on deck using his lifeline. Fujifilm recorded 40 knots of wind with gusts of 48 knots.

Alex said:”At one stage I was on the helm and Fujifilm surfed down a steep wave at 26 knots into a wall of spray. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen conditions like that.”

Alex and Malcolm are both exhausted but unscathed and delighted to have held onto their 2nd place. Fujifilm has held up well and just needs some minor repairs and tidying up! They now have 48 hours in Lowestoft to recover before the sprint to the finish line in Plymouth which will undoubtedly be another close fought battle. Only a few hours separate the Class 40’s in the lead group.