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A WELCOMING crowd of 20,000 greeted the arrival of the six boats at Galway Docks in the early hours of Tuesday as they completed the final leg of the 39,000 nautical mile round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race. New Zealand yacht, Camper, was the first of the six competing boats to cross the finish line in Galway Bay. French yacht. Groupama, finished second in the final leg, which was enough to be crowned the overall winner of the race. The boats set out from Lorient in France on Sunday and were greeted by bonfires on the Aran Islands as they arrived in Galway Bay after nine months of competitive sailing. The event has been transformed into one of the most successful festivals the region has ever witnessed. Gardai estimate that 50,000 attended pre-arrival festival events over the weekend and festivities will continue in the festival village throughout the week. Photo Ray Ryan