At 1920 local time (2320 UTC) on Friday Unai Basurko aboard Pakea crossed the finish line in Norfolk, Virginia to claim third place on the second leg of the Velux 5-Oceans Race.

The young skipper from Bilbao took a total of 68 days, 18 hours and 20 minutes to complete the 15,554-mile course.

Speaking on the dockside as he stepped ashore, Basurko said: “It has been a very difficult leg and we are very pleased to be here. To finish second or third is important but the most important is to finish. When you finish you have everything. When sailing in Southern Ocean and you round Cape Horn and you are tacking up the Atlantic and you arrive here and you are finish. You feel so proud it is fantastic.
“This year was very hard in the Southern Ocean, many cold fronts and very windy but also very beautiful as well. The Atlantic has been very strategically difficult and the race has been very tiring. I am looking forward to some down time with my friends and family and getting the boat ready for the next leg.

“It is very close between me and Sir Robin but I know the North Atlantic very well and I am looking forward to the next leg. It will be very special for me to arrive in Bilbao. But before you finish anything is possible and it is so important to finish. I am very happy with myself because I know I do my best and I know Robin is doing his best also. But I can say is I will be waiting for Robin with good wine in Bilbao.”

The podium finish should propel Basurko from fifth to third in the overall rankings for the race. After the leg one, Unai was over 5 days behind Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who finished third. However, with Saga Insurance still over 1,000 miles from Leg 2 finish, Basurko should move past Knox-Johnston and Dalton in the general rankings and secure third place before the final sprint home.