Tight finish for BT fleet

..but Conrad Humphreys and the crew of LG Flatron come through

LG Flatron, skippered by Conrad Humphreys has won the BT Global Challenge Princess Royal Trophy, after crossing the line first in the final leg of the race today.

Throughout the 32,000 mile circumnavigation, LG Flatron has built a reputation for precision sailing and extreme competitiveness. Today was no different.

"It just feels tremendous winning this race. When we set out on this project two years ago there were certain core objectives we needed to achieve," said an ecstatic Humphreys. "We've won a top world class event. We sailed with probably one of the fewest crew changes in the fleet."

As the yachts entered the Solent, LG Flatron was placed third, involved in a tight battle with Norwich Union and Team SpirIT. Norwich Unionled for most of the final few hours, only to see its chances slip away about one hour from the finish line. Team SpirIT also had its chances for victory, often with less than 100 yards separating the yachts.

It was LG Flatron which snatched victory with its less conservative tactics paying dividends. Team SpirIT won the battle for second, slightly ahead of Norwich Union.

In a reminder of what could have been, Compaq NonStop, skippered by Australian Will Oxley, finished fifth, unable to close the gap for the overall race lead. Nonetheless, they maintained their overall second placing while BP, skippered by Mark Denton, took the final podium spot.

LG Flatron's victory is a remarkable moment for the 26 year old British sailor, Conrad Humphreys, who has skippered his team to four wins out of the seven legs.

"In a race of this stature you come across all types of conditions and all types of challenges. And yes the ultimate one is to win the event. To win four legs out of a seven leg race is just brilliant. The best part is not winning - it is the battle of winning. We have a team of people who are always up for a battle. It's been a great experience and I've learnt a lot," Humphreys commented.

Humphreys will shortly be going off to sail with Mike Golding on board Ecover in the EDS Atlantic Challenge.