Multiple protests to decide The Ocean Race 2023

Genova, Italy (June 28, 2023) – Team Holcim-PRB filed a protest today against 11th Hour Racing Team, relating to the collision at the start of Leg 7 involving GUYOT environnement – Team Europe.

The protest cites Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) 14 and 16.1.

RRS 14 reads, in part: “A boat shall avoid contact with another boat if reasonably possible. However, if a boat has right of way…and if she is complying with the other rules of Part 2, a right-of-way boat…need not act to avoid contact until it is clear that the other boat is not keeping clear.”

RRS 16.1 reads, in part: “When a boat acquires right of way or when a right-of-way boat alters course, she is required to give room for the other boat to keep clear. The other boat must promptly manoeuvre in a way which offers a reasonable expectation that she will keep clear.”

This protest will be heard tomorrow by the International Jury at 0930, just before the Request for Redress which 11th Hour Racing Team had previously submitted, and is scheduled to be heard at 1000.

The focus of both protests is when 11th Hour Racing Team was hit by GUYOT environnement – Team Europe, knocking both boats out of the leg with significant damage. Benjamin Dutreux, the skipper of GUYOT environnement – Team Europe promptly acknowledged responsibility for the collision, retiring from the leg.

As the rules of The Ocean Race don’t permit a team to suspend racing on the final leg of the event, 11th Hour Racing Team was forced to retire from leg 7, and immediately set about repairing its boat with a goal of rejoining the fleet for the final In Port Race in Genova.

The team’s hearing will determine whether the Jury awards them points if its finishing position has been made significantly worse through no fault of its own. The team, which is in transit to Genova, will be represented in their hearing by Marcel Van Triest and Mark Towill.

Currently, 11th Hour Racing Team trails Team Holcim-PRB by one point on the leaderboard, but has scored no points for leg 7. Should the Jury award a redress of one point or more, 11th Hour Racing Team would be the winner of The Ocean Race. If no points are awarded, the current standings would become final and Team Holcim-PRB would be the overall race winner.

The International Jury will give all teams the right to be present at the hearing to present their views and ask questions to ensure as fair an arrangement as possible.

Additionally, acting under Racing Rules of Sailing 60.3(b), the Jury will simultaneously consider redress for Team Holcim-PRB, Team Malizia, Biotherm and GUYOT environnement – Team Europe, following the collision at the start of Leg 7.

World Sailing International Jury:
• Andrés Pérez IJ/IU ESP (Chair)
• Chris Atkins IJ/IU GBR (Vice Chair)
• Pauline Den Burger IJ NED
• Line Juhl IJ DEN
• George Priol IJ FRA
• Sofia Truchanowicz IJ/IU POL
IJ = International Jurer
IU = International Umpire

The procedures for a hearing on a Request for Redress are well established as outlined below.

The relevant section in the Racing Rules of Sailing is Rule 62.1, which reads, in part:
A request for redress or a protest committee’s decision to consider redress shall be based on a claim or possibility that a boat’s score or place in a race or series has been or may be, through no fault of her own, made significantly worse by… injury or physical damage because of the action of a boat that was breaking a rule…and took an appropriate penalty or was penalized…

Along with Rule 64.3. Decisions on Redress:
When the protest committee decides that a boat is entitled to redress under rule 62, it shall make as fair an arrangement as possible for all boats affected, whether or not they asked for redress. This may be to adjust the scoring (see rule A9 for some examples) or finishing times of boats, to abandon the race, to let the results stand or to make some other arrangement…

The decision from the International Jury on the Request for Redress will be communicated after it is reached.
Under the rules of The Ocean Race, any party to the hearing (any of the IMOCA teams) would have 30 minutes after the decision to file a request to reopen. If no request is made after 30 minutes, the Redress decision is considered final.

If there is a Request to Reopen, the Jury may consider the request immediately. The decision made by the International Jury on this request is considered final.

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

IMOCA Overall Leaderboard* (after 7 of 7 legs)
1. Team Holcim-PRB — 34 points
2. 11th Hour Racing Team — 33 points
3. Team Malizia — 32 points
4. Biotherm — 23points
5. GUYOT environnement – Team Europe — 2 points
* Results are provisional as they wait for 11th Hour redress hearing on June 29.

VO65 Overall Leaderboard (after 3 of 3 legs):
1. WindWhisper Racing Team — 18 points
2. Team JAJO — 14 points
3. Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova — 10 points
4. Viva México — 8 points
5. Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team — 7 points
6. Ambersail 2 — 3 points

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.

Held every three or four years since 1973, 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