STOPOVER: The Ocean Race, Episode 6

The Ocean Race 2023 will be featured in STOPOVER, a documentary series which will follow the five IMOCA teams in this crewed round the world race. Produced by the IMOCA class, the series spans eight episodes filmed at the start and at each stopover, exploring the repercussions of the previous leg and anticipate the next.

In this sixth episode, the show follows the Biotherm team on their commando mission in Norway, welcome Franck Cammas and Francesca Clapcich to the 11th Hour Racing Team, and celebrate Guyot environnement-Team Europe’s return to racing with the whole of The Ocean Race family.

The fifth leg was synonymous with intensity, as the crews drove at breakneck speeds across the Atlantic from USA to Denmark. However, not everyone was able to keep up the pace. Biotherm, which broke its shroud almost halfway through the leg, had to sail slowly but surely to avoid dismasting.

The team, skippered by Paul Meilhat, then crossed the line (to the north of Scotland) several days late and finally made port in Kristiansand, Norway, to make repairs and set off again quickly for Aarhus to take part in the In-Port Race.

Meanwhile, Guyot environnement-Team Europe arrived in Kiel, Germany, with what they call a ‘kit’ boat. With a hull to repair and a mast that had only just arrived, it was a big job, but the Sablais team rose to the challenge of getting back into the race for the sixth leg, a feat made possible in part thanks to the solidarity of the other teams and The Ocean Race organization. An emotional moment filmed by polaRYSE’s Marin Le Roux, accompanied by the IMOCA boat.

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 start: January 15, 2023
Cabo Verde – ETA: January 22; Leg 2 start: January 25
Cape Town, South Africa – ETA: February 9; Leg 3 start: February 26 or 27 (TBC)
Itajaí, Brazil – ETA: April 1; Leg 4 start: April 23
Newport, RI, USA – ETA: May 10; Leg 5 start: May 21
Aarhus, Denmark – ETA: May 30; Leg 6 start: June 8
Kiel, Germany (Fly-By) – June 9
The Hague, The Netherlands – ETA: June 11; Leg 7 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: IMOCA