Yachting World Deputy Editor and Bols Sport crewman David Glenn reports from the finish in Brazil:

Bols Sport crossed the finishing line in Salvador da Bahia on 3 December at 1604.52 GMT at the finish of the Yachting World Atlantic Brazil Caribbean Rally. In doing so she sliced more than two days off the record for this passage, set last year by the Sydney 70 Yes! The elapsed time for the two legs, which totalled 2820 miles, from the Canaries via Cape Verde was 13days 4hr 56min. The last leg was completed in 9days 1hr 34min.

The 16 man crew, many of whom were Polish and sailing through the Bols Sports Team initiative, had hardly sailed before and were in a state of excited exhaustion at the end of a very hot passage. The last few hours were dogged by light airs but a sea breeze just a few hundred yards off the beach gave the maxi the wind she needed to slide home.

The next boat likely to finish is Peter Newbury’s Bavaria 51 Joker, at least two days behind. Such is the rating handicap Bols Sport is carrying, it is not yet certain whether or not she can take the leg from Joker. If she makes it she is likely to be unassailable.

The final leg to Grenada starts in the New Year. At least two yachts in the ABC, the Moody Eclipse Carmen and the Tradewind 33 Samuffin, may well change their plans and head straight for the Caribbean with Trinidad as their likely destination as both boats have gear problems, Carmen with her headsail furling drum and Samuffin with engine trouble.

Headwinds have also been a problem for the smaller boats.

A full report on the finish will be posted on this site next week. But for the time being its party time in Salvador where the sun’s shining, the rum is flowing and the music is belting out…