In-Port win for 11th Hour Racing Team

Itajaí, Brazil (April 21, 2023) – 11th Hour Racing Team led the In-Port Race from start to finish today, with the win moving the American team to the top of The Ocean Race In Port Series leaderboard.

Light winds of 8 to 10 knots meant the five IMOCAs were unable to get on the foils, but the two-lap square-shaped course was still challenging for these ocean-going boats which are not easily maneuvered in tight spaces.

Charlie Enright timed his approach to the leeward end of the start line perfectly, and 11th Hour Racing Team looking strong from the moment the gun fired. Breathing down his neck was Kevin Escoffier’s Team Holcim-PRB, with the Frenchman keen to see if he could overhaul the American boat before the first turning mark. Meanwhile a good start from the windward end of the line by Biotherm also saw Paul Meilhat’s new crew threatening the front two boats.

Further back, GUYOT environnement – Team Europe (FRA/GER) was back racing their black boat for the first time since retiring from Leg 3. Benjamin Dutreux kept the slow-starting Team Malizia at bay, with Will Harris’s crew initially unable to make inroads on the fleet.

However, on the downwind leg, with double Olympian Marie Riou calling the tactics for Meilhat, Biotherm managed to steal the inside line from Holcim-PRB, and the French boat moved up into second place on the second lap. Further back Malizia did the same to GUYOT, the German boat squeezing around the turning mark just ahead of Dutreux’s crew.

“In conditions like this, it’s never over until it’s over,” said Enright. “Big credit to the team, I start the boat and everyone else does the rest. I can’t say enough for the guys down below who do all the work. It’s a good day for us here in Brazil.”

Meilhat was delighted how his brand new team – Riou, Alan Roberts and Mariana Lobato – sailed Biotherm so effectively to take an easy second place.

“Our boatspeed was really good and the manoeuvres were also good, which is a bit of a surprise because it’s really the first opportunity for all the crew, which shows they are really strong,” Meilhat said. “This is a good sign for Biotherm ahead of the Atlantic race to Newport.”

The same could not be said for Holcim-PRB who struggled through their final maneuver in the race, the headsail flapping helplessly as Malizia charged through on the final leg to take third place across the line. Escoffier was disappointed to fall to fourth place, with the GUYOT environnement team coming across in fifth place.

In-Port Race – Itajaí
1. 11th Hour Racing Team (USA)
2. Biotherm (FRA)
3. Team Malizia (GER)
4. Team Holcim-PRB (SUI)
5. Guyot environnement – Team Europe (FRA/GER)

In-Port Race – Overall

The start of the 5,500 nautical mile leg 4, from Itajaí to Newport, Rhode Island, USA is scheduled for April 23 at 1315 local time / 1615 UTC / 1815 CEST.

Overall Leaderboard (after 3 of 7 legs)
1. Team Holcim-PRB — 19 points
2. Team Malizia — 14 points
3. 11th Hour Racing Team — 13 points
4. Biotherm — 10 points
5. GUYOT environnement – Team Europe — 2 points

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

IMOCA: Name, 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: TOR