Clipper yacht on crest of a wave

After leading the fleet for the majority of the race, Londonderry was overtaken in the closing stages by Switzerland and crossed the finish line at 8.59pm local time.

That’s 32 minutes behind winners Switzerland and ahead of OneDLL in third.

Skipper Sean McCarter said: “After six days of full on racing we are delighted to have obtained our second podium finish of the race so far. We gave it our all to get over the line ahead of Switzerland and I am extremely proud of the crew for pushing themselves to the max.

“The addition of OneDLL hot on our tails also added to the nail-biting finish, as they grabbed third position over the line. Hats off to their team and thanks for putting your foot down to keep us going!

“We talked about keeping the momentum going and thankfully managed to do it. We were leading a lot of the way and dropped a little bit at the end but it wasn’t for the want of trying.”

Mayor of Derry Londonderry, Cllr Martin Reilly congratulated the team and said: “Congratulations and best wishes to Sean and the team. Everyone is very proud of their achievement. It is a fantastic start to 2014 and may their Legenderry winning form continue!”