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It was tight in the end, but Tobias KOENIG's Grey Goose managed to hold her position and was the third yacht to finish the 3,600 nautical mile race from Newport, Rhode Island, USA to Cuxhaven near Hamburg, Germany. Not long after, the super-maxi Rambler rushed across the line at a speed of 20 knots and set a new course record of 11 days, 16 hours, 13 minutes and 59 seconds. The crew of professional America's Cup and Ocean Race sailors thus clearly cut the record set by Klaus MURMANN's UCA in

2003 (13 days, 7 hours and 22 minutes). The Grey Goose of race partner König & Cie company had started in the first group on 16 June, and it took her 18 days, 14 hours, 26 minutes and 55 seconds to the finish line at 10:26.

'We had just enough wind to move forward against the current and keep ahead of Rambler,' said a happy Martin BORKMANN from König & Cie. 'Third ship home - we've made it!'

At 12:13, the next gun sounded across the Steubenhöft area off Cuxhaven, and the team of Rambler was welcomed warmly. The sailing pros on board the 27.43 metre racer of owner George DAVID had tried to use the tidal stream to catch up with Grey Goose on the last miles to Cuxhaven. But they were not able to gain the top speed of 41.9 knots again which they had made in the storm on the Atlantic.

Sixty-five year old George DAVID had also hoped to be able to come third in the race, but he sent the German crew his congratulations, 'They started a week earlier, so that's OK. Grey Goose is a great boat and her crew did a good job. It was very exciting, and more of a challenge than I thought,' said the boss of United Technologies Corporation. 'I'm very proud on our team'.

American skipper Ken READ agreed, 'We had some hard times, but a lot of fun too. The crew was the perfect mix of experienced and talented sailors and just right for the boat.'