At 0257 local time (0657 GMT) on Wednesday April 25, Velux 5-Oceans Race skipper Graham Dalton finally arrived in Norfolk, Virginia (USA), 102 days after leaving Fremantle (Western Australia), in what has been an epic battle across the planet’s fiercest oceans in The Ultimate Solo Challenge.

Having now finished leg two he will not be able to complete leg three within race rules and will therefore be classed ‘Did Not Start Leg 3’; Dalton will not be classed as a finisher. However, after a journey that has captured the imagination of sailing fans and people from all over the world, the determined skipper will still sail back to Bilbao to complete his own personal journey and a monumental solo circumnavigation that is a testament to his character and conviction.

Speaking from Norfolk, a philosophical Dalton commented: “The fire still burns very strongly within me. On the one hand, I am just pleased to be here, but at the same time very unhappy. Five or six weeks ago I was only 3,000 miles from Norfolk and I was set to come in around 1,000 miles ahead of Robin. Not to start leg three is pretty disappointing quite frankly, but that’s the situation. I can’t do much about it, I just have to manage it and do the best I can.”