SOUTHAMPTON Sailor Ian Walker celebrated victory in the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race yesterday.

Walker and his Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team crossed the finish line in Cape Town yesterday afternoon after completing the gruelling 6,487 nautical mile, 25-day marathon slog through the Mediterranean and Atlantic from Alicante.

The Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Team, who had led the seven-crew race fleet since halfway through the first leg, finished just 12 minutes ahead of Chinese challengers Dongfeng Race Team, with Team Brunel a further 11 minutes back in third.

However, despite being at the front of the race fleet for the last 12 days, Walker and his crew were barely able to savour a minute of the experience as Dongfeng and Team Brunel mounted constant challenges.

“It’s quite emotional actually. I didn’t think I would be – but that last couple of hours, they threw everything at us,” Walker, pictured above, said.

“We’ve had people ride on our heels for the last 10 days or so. I must congratulate Dongfeng, an absolutely fantastic performance.

“Their skipper, Charles Caudrelier, is a fantastic sailor and he’s doing great work. We’ll have our work cut out with them.”