The Ocean Race: In fast pursuit

(March 4, 2023; Day 7) – As Team Holcim-PRB continues to set the standard in the Ocean Race, racing at speed towards the first scoring gate at 143 degrees east longitude, three other boats are, finally, in fast pursuit.

Biotherm, 11th Hour Racing Team and Team Malizia needed to dive as far south as the edge of the ice exclusion zone to find the wind, but now they’re in it and making miles to the east.

“We have good conditions, flat sea state,” said Nico Lunven from on board Team Malizia. “It’s very nice sailing. We have 22-24 knots of wind from the northwest, nice and fast sailing conditions.

“The goal is to move as fast as we can to the east. Tomorrow morning we will be caught by a cold front, coming from behind, so we’ll have a transition (and the wind will shift south) for a few days,” he concluded.

“The bow is finally pointed east and boat speeds are finally in excess of 20. Our five minute average is, double checking, 26 knots, and I might say a very pleasant 26,” wrote Amory Ross from 11th Hour Racing Team’s IMOCA Mālama.

“The sea is relatively flat for the Southern Ocean and the temps are relatively warm for the Southern Ocean, but I say this knowing our date with the corner of the ice exclusion zone, about 10 miles to our south and 440 miles east of here will bring a right hand turn and a dive into the extremes we know are not always so comfortable.”

The three chasing IMOCAs are much further south than the leader, and skirting the ice exclusion zone near 45 degrees south latitude, while Kevin Escoffier’s Holcim-PRB team are over 400 miles north, still holding on to that original weather system that’s allowed them to escape to a 550 mile lead.

But at some point, they too will have to come south and that could present an opportunity for the chasing pack, as it will be Escoffier’s turn to bump up against an area of lighter winds. Over the course of the next week, the fleet is forecast to compress much more tightly again.

Until then, it will be fast sailing along the southern boundary of the race course.

Meanwhile, away to the north, GUYOT environnement – Team Europe is closing in on Cape Town, with an ETA of tonight. The mast and boat will be hauled out tomorrow, weather permitting, and work to repair the damaged structure will begin immediately.

Leg Three Rankings at 1600 UTC
1. Team Holcim-PRB, distance to finish, 11113.4 nm
2. Biotherm, distance to lead, 537.4 nm
3. 11th Hour Racing Team, distance to lead, 562.6 nm
4. Team Malizia, distance to lead, 597.2 nm
GUYOT environnement – Suspended racing

Race details – Route – Tracker – Teams – Content from the boats – YouTube

IMOCA: Boat, Design, Skipper, Launch date
• Guyot Environnement – Team Europe (VPLP Verdier); Benjamin Dutreux (FRA)/Robert Stanjek (GER); September 1, 2015
• 11th Hour Racing Team (Guillaume Verdier); Charlie Enright (USA); August 24, 2021
• Holcim-PRB (Guillaume Verdier); Kevin Escoffier (FRA); May 8, 2022
• Team Malizia (VPLP); Boris Herrmann (GER); July 19, 2022
• Biotherm (Guillaume Verdier); Paul Meilhat (FRA); August 31 2022

The Ocean Race 2022-23 Race Schedule:
Alicante, Spain – Leg 1 (1900 nm) start: January 15, 2023
Cabo Verde – ETA: January 22; Leg 2 (4600 nm) start: January 25
Cape Town, South Africa – ETA: February 9; Leg 3 (12750 nm) start: February 26
Itajaí, Brazil – ETA: April 1; Leg 4 (5500 nm) start: April 23
Newport, RI, USA – ETA: May 10; Leg 5 (3500 nm) start: May 21
Aarhus, Denmark – ETA: May 30; Leg 6 (800 nm) start: June 8
Kiel, Germany (Fly-By) – June 9
The Hague, The Netherlands – ETA: June 11; Leg 7 (2200 nm) start: June 15
Genova, Italy – The Grand Finale – ETA: June 25, 2023; Final In-Port Race: July 1, 2023

The Ocean Race (formerly Volvo Ocean Race and Whitbread Round the World Race) was initially to be raced in two classes of boats: the high-performance, foiling, IMOCA 60 class and the one-design VO65 class which has been used for the last two editions of the race.

However, only the IMOCAs will be racing round the world while the VO65s will race in The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint which competes in Legs 1, 6, and 7 of The Ocean Race course.

Additionally, The Ocean Race also features the In-Port Series with races at seven of the course’s stopover cities around the world which allow local fans to get up close and personal to the teams as they battle it out around a short inshore course.

Although in-port races do not count towards a team’s overall points score, they do play an important part in the overall rankings as the In-Port Race Series standings are used to break any points ties that occur during the race around the world.

The 14th edition of The Ocean Race was originally planned for 2021-22 but was postponed one year due to the pandemic, with the first leg starting on January 15, 2023.

Source: The Ocean Race