Normandy Channel Race: Burke and Fink fight for top 10 place after Fastnet

Anyone who thinks the Ocean Race is exciting should take a look at the Class 40: After almost 600 miles, 16 ships rounded the famous "Rock" yesterday with a maximum gap of ten miles. The class is famous for its tough competition due to the strict box rule and the sometimes huge starting fields of 40 or 50 ships. As a result, many crews sail at the top level. Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink on their Pogo S 4 "Think Big, Think Social" have been proving this since the start. Yesterday, they rounded the last major course mark just seven miles behind the leading "Allagrande Pirelli" of Ambroggio Becarria/Kevin Koch.

This is no longer Guernsey, because yesterday the organiser shortened the course and removed the island from the route, as the double-handed crews could otherwise have got into dangerous seas in the forecast winds of over 30 knots against the extremely strong current there. The course to the destination is now free. Burke and Fink are currently sailing back to the western tip of England on a long anchorage, which they will round late this evening before heading back to Ouistreham in Normandy. The duo are still performing impressively for the first major Class 40 regatta of their lives, lying in 12th place less than 0.6 miles away from a top 10 finish!

At the top, the four pursuers "Legallais", "Credit Mutuel", "Curium Life Forward" and "Project Rescue Ocean" are battling it out for the podium places at a distance of just 0.6 miles ( Click here for the tracker with placements ) and are only 0.2 miles behind the leaders from "Allagrande Pirelli". So it looks like it will remain extremely exciting right up to the finish line.

More on the topic

Portrait of the Burke/Fink duo and boat presentation of the Class 40