The overall winner of the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2008 was determined at 20.49 CET yesterday evening when, Ricomincio da tre (ITA), the last remaining boat on the course with a prospect of winning, failed to cross the finish line. Thierry Bouchard and Spirit of Ad Hoc (FRA) were duly declared the victors.

Living up to the name of the boat, Bouchard and his crew had adapted best to the ever-changing conditions, improvising as necessary to keep moving forward whatever the weather threw at them. And, whilst this is the first time since 2002 that a yacht under fifty-foot has won the race, it goes to show that given the opportunity, and by that read wind, this is a race that any yacht has a chance to win.

Bouchard though is no ordinary sailor. He competed in the double-handed Transat Jacques Vabre in 2007, finishing 10th in the Class 40 division. In 2008 he competed in the single-handed Transat from Plymouth to Boston finishing 3rd in the Class 40.

Team-mate and navigator, Oliver Krauss, did the return race from Québec to Saint-Malo finishing second and according to Bouchard, all the seven-man crew on the Beneteau 40.7 have considerable offshore experience.

"This was the first time any of us have done the Rolex Middle Sea Race and to be honest, we are more used to ocean racing so we did not know what to expect. We knew we could do well, but not this well," said Bouchard after having time to reflect on his achievement.

"I had wanted to do the race for a long time. When I decided to do it this year I asked my friends what they thought and they all said immediately that they would come. So I had no trouble finding crew."

Bouchard was not entirely surprised by this. "The course is extraordinary, it has everything. It is not straightforward at all - there is strong wind, light wind, current and it is a beautiful course. All the places you pass are different, from the start with the cannons to Messina, Stromboli.it makes it fascinating. I would really like to do the race again."

The race had not been without its ups and downs for Bouchard, highs and lows.

"We had a very good start and were first out of the harbour. We enjoyed good wind conditions all the way to Stromboli where we rounded in the dark and took some fantastic pictures of the volcano at night," explained Bouchard.

"The next part was very tricky. One moment we would have some wind and move away, then the wind would die and boats would catch us up again. Then we would move again, stop and so on. At times it was quite distressing to put all the effort in for nothing. We are good friends on the boat and have known each other for a long time. One time we were all sitting quietly on deck, very unhappy when one guy went below and turned on the music really loud. Immediately, we all cheered up.

"For Bouchard it was the 'all for one, one for all' mentality of the crew that made the victory happen and made it special. "A result like this only happens if everyone gives their effort the whole time."

The key period in the race For Bouchard was not the problematic conditions on the northern coast of Sicily, it was the legs from Pantelleria to Lampedusa and then to the Comino Channel.

"We had to stay completely focused on speed. Sometimes we were reaching and sometimes beating, so we changed sails several times and trimming was very important. We had three good helmsmen on board and kept rotating to ensure concentration."

Spirit of Ad Hoc also experienced the violent squall that had affected so many of the yachts on Wednesday.

"We were past Trapani, on our way south, when we were hit by a really vicious storm for about half an hour. The winds went up to 47 knots in an instant and to keep control we just sailed under main alone. This kept us moving forward fast, surfing at times, even though it was very difficult to see anything. When we came out the other side and visibility improved, we realized that a lot of the boats that we had been with were not around us anymore. We decided this was a good sign, because we knew we had been going fast.

"The final part of the race from Comino to the finish at Marsamxett Harbour was not so simple as Spirit of Ad Hoc was racing hard against the clock at this point. With two hours to go ten-miles, it looked a certainty that they would make their time. But it was here that the wind gods starting playing games again.

The breeze was light, patchy and variable in direction. Keeping one's nerve, trusting one's luck and remaining patient were critical. Bouchard and crew did not realise just how well they were doing at this point, nor did they realise how tight was their window of opportunity. Probably just as well; the additional pressure of that knowledge might have put them off their stride.

"We realised early on that we were doing well. There were bigger boats around us and so we were confident we could place quite high. But this result was unexpected."

At the prize giving tomorrow, Thierry Bouchard and the crew of Spirit of Ad Hoc will be awarded the Rolex Middle Sea Race trophy and a Rolex Yacht Master timepiece in Rolesium for their unflinching efforts. Bouchard has also won the dual-scored ORC Club Division.

Other winners are Anthony Camilleri & Kevin Gauci Maistre and Bavaria Flyer 2 (MLT) in the battle of the double-handers; Hans Nagel and High Q1 (GER) took the laurels in the Multihull Class, just reward for completing the storm-ridden course last year and having the strength of character to have another crack.

The cut-off time for finishing is 08:00 CET Saturday 25th October. At 18:00 CET, today, four boats have yet to finish: Obelix (ITA), which should be next home, Monomatapa (ITA), Squibs (GBR) and Seawolf of Southampton (GBR). Sixteen yachts retired out of the seventy-seven boat fleet that started the race.

The final prize giving will be held tomorrow, Saturday 25th October, at noon. Thierry Bouchard's Spirit of Ad Hoc is the Overall Winner of the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2008.

George David's Rambler set the current Course Record of 47 hours 55 minutes and 3 seconds in 2007.

For more information about the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2008 including the entry list, position reports and results please visit www.rolexmiddlesearace.com.