Russian Michail Soldatov has become the sixth finisher in the Jester Challenge.

Soldatov, sailing Gerda, an Albin Vega 27, arrived in Newport, USA, on Monday evening local time.

He follows countryman Igor Zaretskiy, Rory McDougall, Roger Fitzgerald, Tony Head and Thomas Jucker across the line.

Upon arriving in Newport he said: ‘I looked in the mirror and could not recognise myself – a box of skin and bones, I looked like a very, very old man.

‘I heard a shout of ‘chicken, chicken’ from a neighbouring yacht. I was thinking ‘oh no, I must look like a pullet’, but soon realised that they wanted to bring me chicken as they could see my condition.

‘I did not expect the crossing to be so hard.’

Pictured from left to right: Soldatov, Zaretskiy, Head and Jucker.