Tapio Lehtinen, the 5th and final placed Finnish skipper competing in the Golden Globe Race crossed the finish line at 20:21 hours today (May 19, 2019 UTC) accompanied by Bernard Moitessier’s famous yacht Joshua and a flotilla of excited wellwishers, including French race winner Jean-Luc Van Den Heede.
Photo credit: PPL/GGR
Sailing his Gaia 36 Asteria with spinnaker set in glorious weather, Tapio has clearly enjoyed his lengthy solo circumnavigation extended by barnacle growth on the hull. The 61 year-old from Helsinki is now heading towards Les Sables d’Olonne harbour where live coverage will continue for his dockside reception, prizegiving and press conference.