We were only waiting for him.
The last of the heroes.
Arrived this Friday March 5 at 8 hours 35 minutes and 46 seconds (French time), Ari Huusela (58 years old) has finally crossed the finish line of Sables-d'Olonne (Vendée), after 116 days, 18 hours, 15 minutes and 46 seconds of solo round-the-world racing.
Five days after Alexia Barrier, more than a month after Yannick Bestaven, the skipper of Stark is ranked 25th in the 9th edition of the Vendée Globe, which will remain one of the most exciting.
“I am very proud to be the first Finn to complete the Vendée Globe.
It's been my project for so long ... I'm super, super, super happy to have finished the race!
»He declared before entering the channel which was to lead him towards the mainland and his family.
[Vendée Globe 2020 finish 🏁]
Ari Huusela (STARK) 25th to cross the finish line of # VG2020.
He completed his round the world trip in 116d 18h 15min 46s of navigation, covering 29,122.00 miles.
Well done @arihuusela!
🎉 pic.twitter.com/tZ2beQNH20
- Vendée Globe (@VendeeGlobe) March 5, 2021
“Super Happy Ari” has earned its nickname.
The first Finn to complete the event, this confirmed airline pilot of the Finnair company (more than 20,000 flight hours) had only the ambition not to give up, like eight others (including the favorite Alex Thomson) the have done before him: "I am not at all concerned about being last," he said again a few days ago.
I'm just super happy to be in the race and to be where I am.
I knew I would be far from the others, and the main thing was to finish, with a strong boat that would come back in good condition.
"
A hero for the Finns
The skipper of Stark is not a novice, however.
In 1999 and 2007, he took part in the Mini-Transat between the metropolis and Guadeloupe, then Salvador de Bahia in Brazil.
In 2014, he became the first Nordic skipper to complete the Route du rhum, between Saint-Malo and Guadeloupe again.
A test in which he took part again four years later.
In 2019, he finished in 26th place in the Transat-Jacques-Vabre, in a duet with the Irish Mikey Ferguson.
In his country, Ari Huusela has been a hero for many weeks.
"Because of the health situation, many sports are at a standstill, so there is a lot of stress, it has good repercussions," he explained in mid-December.
There are a lot of followers in my country.
Almost everyone in Finland knows the Vendée Globe now.
I am asked about sleep and diet.
Some ask funny questions, like when I saw the mainland after crossing the Cape of Good Hope.
"
