First leg done for The Ocean Race Europe

(August 14, 2025) – The first leg of The Ocean Race Europe 2025 ended in bright but fickle conditions off the Isle of Wight today, with Biotherm taking a confident win and Team Malizia snatching second after a bold tactical move through the Dover Strait.

The fleet had been poised for a direct run into Portsmouth, but race management last night extended the 850 nm course by 60 nm, adding a two-lap loop just off Bembridge Ledge. This saw the top three teams grinding through another set of upwind and downwind legs before they could cross the English finish line.

For Biotherm, the extension was little more than a formality. Paul Meilhat’s team had controlled the race since the start in Kiel on August 10, staying clear of trouble and keeping their nearest rivals at arm’s length. Even last night’s squall – when 25 knots came in from all directions, forcing them to drop and re-hoist sails – didn’t shake their grip on the lead.

“We went from five knots suddenly to 25 knots, then it spun around in circles,” Meilhat explained. “We had to keep up with it to not damage the boat or any sails, but we managed it.”

By the time the leaders reached Bembridge today, Biotherm’s advantage was such that they could work through the laps without serious threat, crossing the finish at 09:50 UTC as winners of Leg 1, collecting 7 points for the victory and 2 points from the Kiel scoring gate for a perfect 9-point opening.

The real drama played out behind, where Team Malizia and Paprec Arkéa were locked in a match race for second. For most of the leg, Paprec Arkéa had held the upper hand, defending third against Malizia’s advances. But late yesterday, Boris Herrmann’s crew rolled the dice.

Approaching Dover, they abandoned the mid-channel route and hugged the English coast to escape the full force of the adverse current. It was a high-risk call – inshore meant weaker current but also the possibility of losing breeze.

Their move paid off immediately. In the hour after they tacked towards the cliffs, Malizia clawed back five miles. By sunset, they were just half a mile back. “Right now we are one mile behind Paprec, and they’re only doing 1.9 knots and we are doing 8.2,” said co-skipper Cole Brauer on board Malizia. “This is when we become the hunters.”

Paprec Arkéa responded with textbook defensive tactics, matching Malizia tack for tack through the night. For hours they were separated by barely a mile, holding cover all the way to the start of the Bembridge loop – until a single decision let it slip.

Spotting a shift at the bottom mark, Malizia gybed away; Paprec Arkéa allowed the split, believing it to be safe. However, the manoeuvre worked out for the chasing German team, who rounded the mark ahead and immediately began to slowly stretch their lead.

At the finish Malizia’s locked in a decisive second place. For Paprec Arkéa, that momentary lapse cost them the place they’d protected all the way from Kiel, relegating them to third.

“It was an amazing morning for us,” shared Malizia skipper Boris Herrmann. “We hoisted the kite and saw that we could sail deeper with the spinnaker than they could with their sail, and that’s how we ultimately overtook them.”

Added co-skipper Will Harris, “We definitely got a little lucky this morning, but at one point yesterday we were 15-20 miles behind and we managed to close that gap. I don’t think that can all be thanks to luck! It’s a really tough fleet out there, everyone’s pushing the entire time, and the fact we were the only boat to overtake another one I think shows we’ve got a fighting spirit.”

“We played it badly, both tactically and in sail choice, and they managed to get through,” said Paprec Arkéa skipper Yoann Richomme, admitting, “It was a mistake on my part. I was pretty tired at that point, and I let things go. So, there’s a lot of disappointment on my part today.

“Despite that, I’m really happy with the leg we did. We were second for 99% of the time. The crew was in top shape, and they really made the boat work fast all the time. Everything was really fluid, and we pulled off a lot of incredible maneuvers – I couldn’t even count them.”

While the front three battled for podium positions, life was grindingly slow further down the order. Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive, sitting in fourth, spent much of the approach to Dover in thick fog with less than 30 metres’ visibility.

“We can see up to the bow and maybe half a boat length beyond, and then the sea just disappears into a grey shroud,” Pip Hare explained, describing their reliance on AIS, radar, and the OSCAR infrared system. “The risk here is collisions with other vessels, because you wouldn’t see them coming until it was too late.”

The Canadian team would claim fourth place just over three hours behind the winning boat, while for Team Amaala, trailing the leaders by about 80 miles early in the afternoon, conditions have been even more frustrating.

“If you want the truth, we’re going to do like 20,000 tacks, in current with no wind,” skipper Alan Roura said this morning with a laugh. “Anyway, that’s part of it. At least now we know how to tack in all conditions!”

Sam Goodchild (Biotherm) said their win was especially satisfying given how little time the line-up had spent racing together: “Even if the whole crew has experience in their own way on IMOCAs, Paul is leading the team well to find that right balance between experience and his knowledge of the boat. Every leg will bring different conditions and challenges, but we got this one right.

“It’s good to get off on a good footing, but you can’t get ahead of yourself – there is a long way to go and the goal is to win the whole race.”

With the first leg complete, nine points puts Biotherm in a strong early position. Malizia’s late charge delivers six points for second, drawing them level with Paprec Arkéa, who added a single point from the Kiel scoring gate to their five for third.

The first 850 miles of the Ocean Race Europe 2025 have thrown a range of conditions at the sailors, from high-speed foiling in the Baltic to narrow, nerve-wracking lanes in the Channel. From here, the remaining four legs will see the teams tracing a route around Europe that totals a further 3650 miles.

If Biotherm can carry their composure and pace into the next stages, they will be hard to dislodge. But as Malizia proved in Dover, bold calls can still turn the tables in a matter of hours.

Leaderboard (provisional):
Biotherm — 9 points
Team Malizia — 6 points
Paprec Arkéa — 6 points
Canada Ocean Race – Be Water Positive — 4 points
Team AMAALA — 3 points (to be confirmed later Thursday)
Allagrande MAPEI Racing and Team Holcim PRB — 0 points

The next leg kicks off on August 17, when the fleet will head out of Portsmouth to race 1,400 nautical miles to Cartagena, Spain, with a 3-hour fly-by stopover in Matosinhos/Porto, Portugal.

Following the collision at the start of Leg 1, Allagrande MAPEI Racing has completed repairs and hopes to arrive in time for the start of Leg 2. But for Team Holcim PRB, repairs to their hull and port side rigging are not yet complete which may delay their start.

Race details – Tracker – YouTube

Details: https://www.theoceanrace.com/en/

The entrants feature a team of five, representing at least two nationalities, with at least one female crew member, bringing together solo round‑the‑world veterans, rising offshore talent, and onboard reporters to share the experience.

The 5-leg race started August 10 from Kiel, Germany with the 850-nautical mile opening Leg to Portsmouth, England. Leg 2 sees the fleet race 1,400 nautical miles to Caragena, Spain – via a fly-by in Matosinhos / Porto in Portugal. The 650-nautical mile third Leg through the Mediterranean finishes in Nice, France, before the fleet sets off on the planned-to-be 600-nautical mile fourth Leg to Genova, Italy. The approximately 1,000-nautical mile fifth and final Leg takes the crews into the Adriatic to the Race finish in Boka Bay in Montenegro.

Entry list:
Team Malizia (GER) – Boris Herrmann (GER)
Team Holcim – PRB (SUI) – Rosalin Kuiper (NED)
Team Paprec Arkéa (FRA) – Yoann Richomme (FRA)
Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive (CAN) – Scott Shawyer (CAN)
Allagrande Mapei Racing (ITA) – Ambrogio Beccaria (ITA)
Biotherm (FRA) – Paul Meilhat (FRA)
Team AMAALA (SUI/KSA) – Alan Roura (SUI)

Race facts:
• Distance: 4,500 nautical miles across five Legs.
• Yacht-Type: High-speed IMOCA 60s, capable of reaching 25+ knots.
• Crews: 4 sailors per boat, representing at least two nationalities and with at least one female crew member. And 1 onboard reporter.
• Nations represented: Germany, Switzerland, France, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Great Britain, United States of America, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Brazil, Portugal.
• Historic firsts: First time racing into the Adriatic Sea and Montenegro finish.
• Tracking: Live GPS race tracker powered by ‘PredictWind’, with weather overlays and real-time routing.

The Ocean Race will begin again in 2027 using the IMOCA class boat, with two earlier events providing training and exposure to prospective teams. In 2025, The Ocean Race Europe will start on August 10 from Kiel, Germany and take a route south around the Iberian Peninsula and into the Mediterranean Sea. In 2026, The Ocean Race Atlantic will start in New York, USA and finish in Barcelona, Spain.

Source: TORE