At 1248 UTC this afternoon, Kojiro Shiraishi crossed the finish line to take silver in the second leg of the Velux 5 Oceans. Only three days behind runaway leader Bernard Stamm after the dramatic first leg, the Japanese hero, Kojiro Shiraishi is now over 15 days behind the defending Swiss champion.The Japanese skipper is recording a fantastic first performance in the 60 foot class, especially in sight of the fact that he only took ownership of the yacht months before the start of the race. His performance has been superb and an illustration of his seamanship skills and the professional organisation of his team, especially given the disadvantage of an older generation yacht without canting keel technology.

Although any hope of victory may now appear slim, the result still marks a monumental achievement for Koji, who has attracted followers and admirers in Japan and around the world with his captivating logs, beautiful pictures of life at sea and his assured performance in an Open 60 racing yacht.

Picture: OnEdition