Anne Liardet, skipper of the Open 60 Roxy, crossed the finish line of the Vendee Globe at 17 hours 30 minutes and 40 seconds yesterday afternoon in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.

Finishing in 11th place Liardet took a total of 119 days 5 hours 28 minutes and 40 seconds at an average theoretical speed across the course of 8.25 knots to complete the 23,680-mile round the world course. She finished 31 days 18 hours 40 minutes and 45 seconds after the winner, Vincent Riou aboard PRB and becomes the third woman after Catherine Chabaud and Ellen MacArthur to officially complete the Vendée Globe.

There are currently two more competitors to cross the finish line – Raphaël Dinelli sailing Akena Verandas who has 600 miles to go, and Karen Leibovici who still has over 1,000 miles to go, 420 miles behind Dinelli. Chatting from the boat yesterday afternoon Dinelli expressed his concern about the conditions ahead commenting: “I’m speeding along. Maybe even a little too quickly in comparison with the North Atlantic lows. I should be benefiting again tomorrow from this fine south-easterly flow, but I’m afraid I’ll be entering the high too quickly. I’m going to have to get to the other side to pick up the north-easterly wind, and that is a long way north, maybe even up by the Channel, before I head back down on the port tack towards the finish. So I shall be slowed down in around 48 hours time, which puts my ETA back. “I’m fixing an appointment with the people of Vendée for Thursday. Meanwhile, I’m finishing my final pack of food, and so will be tackling my reserves. I’ve been having to bail out a lot from my cracked daggerboard casing since the start, as I’m right on the port side. I’m keeping a watch for cargo vessels. Last night I was on course for a collision with a huge container ship, which hadn’t seen me, where there was no watch, and which didn’t reply to my VHF calls. I had to luff to avoid it.”

Meanwhile Leibovici’s priority right now is trying to work out how to fix her pilot. She said: “I spent all night trying to fit my spare one, but it’s a makeshift repair, as it’s raining, the seas are heavy, and I don’t have much material left to use for repairs. I don’t think it’s going to hold out. I’ve got a steady 35-knot south easterly. I’m on course, but without the pilot, so have to stay at the helm. I can’t see myself sticking this out until the finish. My crew ashore is working on a solution. Meanwhile, I need to get some rest and get something to eat. I have the right conditions to make good headway, and it’s really maddening not to be able to benefit from them.”