Make amends for all of the motion from the Ocean Race Europe Leg 2, the race’s longest, together with Biotherm taking again its lead, sudden overtakes and climate modifications, and the Worldwide Jury’s ruling on the dramatic collision that derailed two groups firstly of Leg 1.
Paul Meilhat‘s Biotherm continues to defend its undisputed lead in The Ocean Race Europe Leg 2.
After recovering from a quick overtake by Yoan Richomme‘s Paprec Arkéa, Staff Biotherm got here into Cartagena at 04:53am early on Saturday morning, closing out the fleet’s longest haul, 1,400 NM from Portsmouth to Cartagena, with an unblemished rating and the utmost out there factors.
Holcim PRB, one in every of two IMOCA 60s concerned within the dramatic collision firstly of the Ocean Race Europe 2025, completed second after its restoration.
“It’s wonderful to be right here in second place… Every week in the past we couldn’t think about being on the beginning line,” mentioned skipper Rosalin Kuiper.
Holcim-PRB was awarded redress after the collision in Kiel, placing the group firmly again within the operating.
In a listening to that passed off through the stopover in Cartagena, The Worldwide Jury dominated that neither Allagrande mapei nor Holcim-PRB would maintain additional penalties, and that Holcim-PRB’s ending place in Leg 1 will probably be equal to its common ending place on the end of legs 2 to five.
Staff Allagrande Mapei was not granted redress.
“We respect their ruling, even when it’s not the result we had been hoping for. That’s a part of our sport, and we settle for it,” mentioned skipper Ambrogio Beccaria.
The Ocean Race Europe Leg 2 at a look
Staff Holcim-PRB granted redress by the Worldwide Jury after the collision firstly of Leg 1
Clean downwind crusing on the Begin of Leg 2, with all seven boats lastly again within the race
The fleet compresses in a windless patch off of Brittany, Paprec Arkéa falls behind
Groups catch their breath in a quick fly-by stop-over in Matosinhos-Porto
Heavy downwind situations off the coast of Portugal permit Paprec Arkéa to achieve a momentary lead
Entrance into the Mediterranean brings patchy, unpredictable situations and lighter winds
The fleet catches as much as Paprec, with Biotherm regaining the lead in time to win Leg 2
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Begin of Leg 2, two boats recovered after the collision in Leg 1
Photograph: Pierre Bouras / The Ocean Race.
The Ocean Race Europe Leg 2 kicked off on 17 August in Portsmouth. The fleet was as soon as once more 7-strong, with Holcim-PRB and Allagrande Mapei recovered after the collision in Leg 1.
“It’s wonderful we’re again within the race,” mentioned Alan Roberts of group Holcim-PRB. “We’re not simply again, we’re a ship that’s at 100%, much more formidable and motivated than earlier than to get on the market and carry out.”
“Adversity both splits or unites you,” he added. “On this case it has united us.”
With 10-14 knots of wind and a beneficial present, the situations made for good downwind crusing. The fleet charged down the Solent beneath spinnaker.
Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm was once more first by way of the scoring gate on the Needles, overtaking Paprec Arkéa’s preliminary lead.
To comply with was the newly-recovered Staff Holcim PRB, then Staff Malizia and Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Constructive, and Allagrande Mapei and Staff Amaala in sixth and seventh.
Photograph: Jean-Louis Carli / The Ocean Race.
Robust situations quickly after the beginning of Leg 2 proved divisive.
“Our boat is particularly made for sturdy winds, so we like to see these situations,” mentioned skipper Allagrande Mapei’s skipper Ambrogio Beccaria.
Malizia’s co-skipper Will Harris, who’s taking on from Boris Hermann for Leg 2, was simply as optimistic.
“Excessive speeds and excessive wind – we actually love that onboard Malizia. These are our situations, so we’ve bought to profit from it,” he mentioned.
Biotherm’s Paul Meilhat was much less enthusiastic, commenting that though his group’s boat isn’t at its finest in sturdy situations, they solely stand to achieve by the lighter winds predicted for his or her entrance into the Mediterranean.
First evening of Ocean Race Europe Leg 2
Photograph: Flore Hartout / The Ocean Race.
After hurtling out of Portsmouth, the fleet fell to a windless patch off the northwest tip of Brittany. As forecast, the easterlies gave technique to a transition zone with just some knots of breeze.
The fleet compressed because the breeze collapsed, shrinking a 40 mile hole into just some miles between head and tail and levelling the taking part in area.
“All of the boats are collectively, so it’s one other new begin for everyone,” mentioned skipper Alan Roura of Staff Amaala, which has thus far held seventh place.
A raffle from Yoann Richomme’s Paprec Arkéa dropped the group from the entrance to the top of the group. , Paprec tried a shortcut, intending to slide inside Ushant by way of the slender tidal channel and leap 15-20 miles.
As an alternative, they missed their window by lower than an hour and had been pressured to show again and reroute.
“We struggled all evening attempting to get previous it. As an alternative of the present serving to us all the way down to the south, it was pushing us again north. In the long run we needed to do the identical because the others and go round. Now we’re about 5 miles behind the chief,” says Richomme.
The northern route favoured by Biotherm, Staff Malizia, and Canada Ocean Racing proved a safer name.
Pace video games at Cap Finisterre
Photograph: Pierre Bouras / The Ocean Race.
The fleet unfold out once more round Cap Finisterre, although nonetheless remaining in sight of one another. The tempo picked up right into a velocity take a look at, requiring fixed trimming, tweaking, and hand steering from each crew.
“Each minute counts right here – there’s no room for errors,” mentioned Holcim PRB skipper Rosalin Kuiper.
“It’s just about a straight line, so it’s actually working extra on the setup of the boat, on the velocity greater than the rest,” mentioned Staff Malizia co-skipper Francesca Clapcich.
Amélie Grassi (Biotherm) loved a pleasant head-to-head together with her husband Alan Roberts (Holcim-PRB).
“I slept half the time and I labored the opposite half. Initially of the day, I used to be overtaken by my husband and on the finish, I overtook him once more. So general it’s been an excellent day!”
The Ocean Race Europe fleet pauses at Porto-Matosinhos
Photograph: Jean – Louis Carli / The Ocean Race.
The fleet paused for a 3 hour fly-by in Porto-Matosinhos earlier than persevering with on for Cartagena.
Paprec Arkéa pulled again into second place after falling to the again of the pack within the tidal gate off Brittany. A newly-recovered group Holcim-PRB got here third.
Skipper Rosalin Kuiper feedback, “We’re very pleased to be again within the race and particularly after what occurred within the first leg. We truly completed, and we completed third. After all there’s room for enchancment, however we’re pleased thus far.”
“It was an intense leg. Particularly final evening it was arduous downwind, driving and altering sails,” provides crew member Franck Cammas.
Jostling for the lead off the Portuguese coast
Throughout the fleet, crews opted for hand-steering over autopilot techniques to keep up most precision because the wind picked up.
Photograph: Anne Beaugé / The Ocean Race.
Yoann Richomme’s Paprec Arkéa, tipped because the quickest in heavy downwind situations, lastly had an opportunity to play to its strengths. The group broke Biotherm’s lead as they flew previous the Portuguese coast beneath the quilt of evening, in some stretches even hitting 30 knots.
A missed sail-change left Biotherm within the lurch, newly grappling with Holcim-PRB. Shut behind had been Staff Malizia, Allagrande Mapei Racing, and Canada Ocean Water.
In the back of the fleet, Staff Amaala had fallen a full 400 miles behind the race leaders.
Skipper Alan Roura remained as cheerful as ever, joking, “We like to be in mild winds as a result of this manner we spend extra time collectively!”
Biotherm expects to climb again up as they make their method into the Mediterranean, the place lighter winds will play to Biotherm’s strengths once more.
Ocean Race Europe Leg 2 Finishes within the Mediterranean
Photograph: Richard Marsden / The Ocean Race.
“We made an excellent transfer within the evening from Wednesday to Thursday with sail configuration, hitting round 30 knots,” Paprec Arkéa’s Yoann Richomme mentioned. However by daybreak, “The fan simply fully turned off! We went from 25 knots to 4 knots in 10 seconds.”
Lighter-than-forecast situations gave the remainder of the fleet an opportunity to catch up.
Paprec’s alternative to remain additional offshore misplaced them their hard-earned benefit. Biotherm slipped by on a thermal, sliding again into first place.
Just like the fleet leaders, Staff Malizia and Allagrande Mapei Racing hit over 30 knots within the evening, then crashed into the identical calm patch that had trapped Paprec.
Cammas commented, “That’s the enjoyment of the Mediterranean… At the least the sport is huge open, and it’s by no means over!”
When is The Ocean Race Europe Leg 3?
The Ocean Race Europe Leg 3 will kick off on Tuesday 26 August, with the fleet heading out of Cartagena (Scoring gate: Cabo de Palos) for a 650 nautical mile cruise to Good, France.
For those who loved this recap of the Ocean Race Europe Leg 2….
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