American boat 11th Hour was named winner of The Ocean Race when the race jury awarded it four points in compensation for a collision with a competitor early in the last leg.
The race between elite open class for monohull (Imoca) yachts ended with Germans on Team Malizia winning the seventh final leg.
But 11th Hour, helmed by American Charlie Enright, vaulted into first overall with the four bonus points. It finished on 37 points with Swiss crew Holcim-PRB on 34 and Malizia on 32.
Minutes after the start of the final leg on June 15 in The Hague, 11th Hour, then leader in the rankings, was unintentionally struck by Guyot-Environnement.
The damage was so extensive that Enright and his crew were forced to head back to port and abandon the stage.
The American team lodged a protest saying that they were not to blame for the collision, a fact quickly acknowledged by Benjamin Dutreux, skipper of Guyot-Environnement.
The jury on Thursday agreed and awarded four points calculated on "average points based on 11th Hour's performance in the previous legs."
Enright was "absolutely ecstatic".
"This race takes everything out of you -- emotionally, mentally, and physically," he said.
"There have been highs, some incredible highs, but also lows that have knocked us all, but they were all worth it to hear this news today."
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