Italian skipper Giovanni Soldini on Wednesday won the Artemis Transat, the oldest solo ocean race in history, aboard his Telecom Italia Class 40 boat.
The 1999 Around Alone winner led the race from its start in Plymouth, Britain, to the finish line off Marblehead, north of Boston, Massachusettes.
Telecom Italia was the same monohull with which Soldini, together with co-skipper Pietro D'Ali, won the Transat Jacques Vabre race from France to Brazil last November.
Soldini completed the Artemis Transat, also known as the North Atlantic Alone, in 16 days, 22 hours and 11 minutes,
The Artemis Transat brings together the IMOCA Open 60 and Class 40 monohulls on a 2,800 mile single-handed sailing race across the North Atlantic.
It is has been staged every four years since 1960 and was originally known as the OSTAR (Observer Single-handed Transatlantic Race).
It was later renamed the Europe 1 STAR when the French radio station replaced the British newspaper Observer as its sponsor alongside the Royal Western Yacht Club of Plymouth.
This year, the race's thirteenth edition, is the first to be named the Artemis Transat, named after the British investment management firm.
The race began on May 11th.
Soldini's Around Alone victory in 1999 is best remembered for his daring high seas rescue of French yachtswoman and rival Isabelle Authissier.
They were on the third leg of the around the world race when Authissier's ship capsized in heavy weather and high seas in the southeast Pacific.
Soldini, who was in the lead, turned back to rescue his rival. He later went on to win both that stage and the whole Around Alone event.
The popular Italian skipper was awarded France's prestigious Legion d'Honneur in 2002 for his act.
