Nobody will be breaking any records on Tuesday (20 June) in The Ocean Race. Light winds mean speeds are still modest for both IMOCA and VO65 fleets as they slide down to the south along the west coast of the Iberian peninsula.

“It would be nice to be going faster,” said Team Malizia’s Will Harris, as his team has taken advantage of the lighter winds ahead to claw a few miles back on Team Holcim-PRB and Biotherm.

“It’s a long way to Genova. It’s not a leg to be underestimated. I think anything could happen right up to the finish. There will be lots of opportunities to catch up…

“It’s a lot more tactical in these conditions. You still have to sail the boat as fast as possible and remember that everyone is dealing with the same conditions. It’s about how you overcome it.”

In the VO65 fleet, it’s WindWhisper Racing Team who have done some very good work to maintain a lead of 75 miles (as of Tuesday evening) over the next four boats, all of whom are grouped together in a chasing pack separated by just 25 miles.

“Last night was quite difficult. The wind was up and down and left and right, so it was hard work for the crew to keep the speed up,” said Gerwin Jansen from Austrian Ocean Racing - Team Genova. “Today we expect to be sailing close to the Spanish and Portuguese coasts and doing a lot of gybing to stay in the wind.”

The forecast is for the generally light conditions to continue although from a favourable north-northwesterly direction until the boats are through the Strait of Gibraltar on Thursday (22 June).

And on Wednesday (21 June) the first boat is expected pass the Vasco da Gama Mirpuri Foundation latitude — 37 degrees north — earning a prize that will be awarded to the team’s navigator in Genoa.

Rankings at 1800 UTC, 20 June

IMOCA:

1. Team Holcim-PRB, 1,308.6 miles to finish
2. Biotherm, 8.1 miles to leader

3. Team Malizia, 27.5 miles to finish

VO65
:

1. WindWhisper Racing, 1,184.4 miles to finish
2. Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team, 75.2 miles to leader
3. Team JAJO, 78.2 miles to leader
4. Viva México, 92.7 miles to leader
5. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 100.8 miles to leader

Follow both fleets’ progress via the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.

The VO65s are still leading the charge south, towards Cape Finisterre and the coast of Portugal. But at the moment, ‘charge’ should be considered a generous description.

Boat speeds are often under 10 knots and the choice for the decision-makers on board is bleak — push south into lighter winds, or further west, away from the target.

“It’s looking very quiet, not so much wind…very slow,” was the succint summary from Nico Lunven on Team Maliza.

Elsewhere, Yoann Richomme, leading the navigation duties on the IMOCA furthest to the south — Team Holcim-PRB — offered up a more vivid description, even if the ultimate conclusion is the same.

“We are in the middle of the Bay of Biscay, going west — west! — to get away from some light winds between France and Spain,” he explained on Monday’s (19 June) boat feed. “Then we are going to try to go down south along the coast of Portugal. it will be light this afternoon, then a little bit windier as we turn south to go down but then Portugal looks very, very light.

“Right now we’re slow. It’s not looking good. Biotherm is about 55 miles north but we could lose quite a bit today I reckon. We have a bit of an advantage but I think the next hours and days will be very tricky.”

As Richomme predicted, that hard-won early advantage is now being eroded by both Biotherm and Team Malizia, as both boats are further west and holding onto the light winds a little bit longer.

The story is similar no matter which of the five VO65s or three IMOCAs you are racing on in this final leg of The Ocean Race. It’s a challenge to pick a route south that has enough wind to keep the boat moving consistently. Today, gambling on a spot further west seems to be paying.

“We chose to go quite far west to chase the remains of a low-pressure system,” said Aksel Magdahl, navigator on WindWhisper Racing Team, the leading team in the VO65 Sprint. “Fortunately, the fleet has more or less followed us which makes it more straighforward.”

As the boats press further south, they will eventually come to the southwestern tip of Portugal before making a left turn and heading towards Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea.

Extending off the tip of Portugal, along 37 degrees of north latitude, is the scoring line for the Vasco da Gama Mirpuri Foundation Prize which will be awarded to the first navigator in either class to cross this latitude. No scoring points are assigned here, but a prize will be presented in Genoa during the Grand Finale awards night.

Meanwhile, 11th Hour Racing Team is making good progress on its ‘race within a race’ to Genoa. After leaving The Hague on Sunday evening, the team is determined to arrive to Italy in time to participate in the In-Port Race.

“We are very tight on time but we will do everything we can to get to Genova to join the rest of the fleet for the Grand Finale of The Ocean Race,” said skipper Charlie Enright as his team left the dock on Sunday (18 June).

“We want to be there in time for the start of the In-Port Race on July 1, to give us the opportunity to compete in, and win, the In-Port Race Series. It’s a race within a race, and the countdown is now on.”

Rankings at 1600 UTC, 19 June

IMOCA:

1. Team Holcim-PRB, 1,600.8 miles to finish
2. Biotherm, 31.8 miles to leader

3. Team Malizia, 49.3 miles to finish

VO65
:

1. WindWhisper Racing, 1,453.1 miles to finish
2. Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team, 68.3 miles to leader
3. Team JAJO, 70.1 miles to leader
4. Viva México, 87.3 miles to leader
5. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 69.7 miles to leader

Follow both fleets’ progress via the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.

Both the IMOCA and VO65 fleets in The Ocean Race are finally free of the English Channel and into the more open waters of the Bay of Biscay/Celtic Sea/North Atlantic on Sunday (18 June).

The mission now is to leave the Bay of Biscay to port and run down the west coasts of Spain and Portugal before turning into the Mediterranean.

After a couple of days of very light winds, Sunday morning (18 June) brought a light to moderate breeze — but it was a south-southwesterly, which is generally the direction of travel, meaning choices would need to be made. Further west there is likely to be more wind, but it comes at a cost of extra miles. This tactical choice over the next 24-48 hours will be one to watch.

“We lost a bit on Biotherm overnight, but still have a good lead at the moment…so far, so good,” said Benjamin Schwartz on IMOCA fleet leader Team Holcim-PRB. His team dropped just over 10 miles in the early hours of Sunday, but have managed to stabilise now and are set up directly west of Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm team, and nearly 50 miles ahead of Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia.

The VO65 fleet has pushed further west than the IMOCAs, especially the leader WindWhisper Racing Team which is earlier this morning was over 70 miles west of second-placed Mirpuri-Trifork and Team JAJO in third.

The challenge for WindWhisper skipper Daryl Wislang is to determine when there is enough west in the wind direction for them to tack and start making miles south. That time came at 0900 UTC and as of Sunday afternoon the team is making miles towards the goal.

“It’s definitely been a tricky time with very, very light winds,” confirmed Viva Mexico skipper Erik Brockmann, where his team is in a pack of four VO65s chasing the leader.

“The last days have seemed more like the doldrums with a little bit of everything mixed in. Now we finally have some breeze and have sailed all night and I think we are finally getting into the southerlies we have been expecting. Only WindWhisper has been able to get into the wind first [and get away] but we can see the others, so it should be a fun day today.”

Meanwhile, the two teams that returned to The Hague after the dramatic collision that marred the start of Leg 7 for the IMOCA fleet have given updates on their current status.

On Sunday morning, GUYOT environnement - Team Europe confirmed they would not be able to repair their boat in time to get to Genoa for the Grand Finale. Instead, the team has effected a temporary repair (no bowsprit) and will limp towards their home port of Les Sable d’Olonne where full repairs can be made.

“We wanted to finish this race and we put all our power towards that, but we try to go to Genova like this — no bowsprit, no downwind sails — we will arrive well after the stopover,” said skipper Benjamin Dutreux.

“We have spent the past six months with all the other teams. We have that link together now. There is no way we will miss the arrival of the boats in Genova. All of our team will be in Genova to welcome the boats. Whether our boat is there or not there changes nothing. This is a human story and we want to be there to share that with them.”

Dutreux repeated his regret for the incident and its impact on 11th Hour Racing Team and The Ocean Race.

Still in The Hague, Charlie Enright’s team is continuing to work around the clock on repairs to its boat with the goal of getting to Genoa for the Grand Finale.

“The time, the effort, the craftsmanship, the dedication is unbelievable,” Enright said dockside on Saturday afternoon (17 June) as he looked at the work happening on the boat. “I feel so lucky to have this level of dedication to the cause. When you get into situations like this you find out what you’re made of and I’m so proud of what we’ve seen so far.”

The team is expected to update on its plans to get to the Grand Finale in Genoa over the next 24 hours. Additionally, more information about the schedule for 11th Hour Racing Team’s Request for Redress with the World Sailing International Jury will be shared when it is available.

Rankings at 1400 UTC, 18 June

IMOCA:

1. Team Holcim-PRB, 1,693.9 miles to finish
2. Biotherm, 20.3 miles to leader

3. Team Malizia, 45.3 miles to finish

VO65
:

1. WindWhisper Racing, 1,641.3 miles to finish
2. Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team, 46.3 miles to leader
3. Team JAJO, 52.2 miles to leader
4. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 59.9 miles to leader
5. Viva México, 61.1 miles to leader

Follow both fleets’ progress via the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.

The five VO65s and three IMOCA boats racing to The Ocean Race Grand Finale in Genoa are battling light and challenging conditions as they work to exit the English Channel and begin the next phase of the race, in more open waters.

At 1000 UTC on Saturday morning (17 June), the VO65 fleet was tight and compressed together, approximately 50 miles west of the leading IMOCA, Team Holcim-PRB.

Team JAJO was nominally in the lead, over Mirpuri-Trifork Racing Team and WindWhisper, but in reality — with boat speeds below four knots — it was all about who would get the next puff wind, the next eddy of favourable current. That would prove to be WindWhisper, which as of Saturday evening is more than 30 miles ahead of the rest.

“It’s really light, it’s the first big transition of the race,” said Max Deckers on Team JAJO. “We’re expecting wind from the west at some point, but until then it’s just about using anything we get — looking for wind. That’s the main thing.”

The IMOCA teams are facing the same situation. They’ve set up slightly further east and south, Benjamin Schwartz and his crew on Team Holcim-PRB extending away from Biotherm (17 miles) and Team Malizia (36 miles).

“We have to find a way through these light winds in the English Channel to the Bay of Biscay,” said Malizia’s Will Harris.

But it’s tough, slow sailing. “We are waiting for some good wind,” was the lament from Marie Riou on board Biotherm.

And the forecast doesn’t offer much respite. Light to (at best) moderate south-southwesterlies are ahead, but this would also mean upwind sailing through the Bay of Biscay, which won’t be fast in terms of making miles toward the goal.

Perhaps it is good practice for the Mediterranean days ahead.

Rankings at 1800 UTC, 17 June

IMOCA:

1. Team Holcim-PRB, 1,805.1 miles to finish
2. Biotherm, 17.1 miles to leader

3. Team Malizia, 36.1 miles to finish

VO65
:

1. WindWhisper Racing, 1,787.5 miles to finish
2. Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team, 36.6 miles to leader
3. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 339.2 miles to leader
4. Team JAJO, 40.3 miles to leader
5. Viva México, 46.9 miles to leader

Follow both fleets’ progress via the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.

All five VO65s left The Hague in full racing trim on Thursday afternoon (15 June), heading into Stage 3 of the VO65 Sprint Cup. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the IMOCA fleet, where a dramatic collision has left just three boats still on the course and racing towards Genoa.

One boat has retired from the leg after assuming responsibility for the accident, while the race-leading 11th Hour Racing Team is dockside in The Hague after working through the night to determine the extent of the damage, begin repairs and assess options for a return.

The incident itself was the type of accident that regrettably happens on rare occasions in racing. But it is a shock to see it here, in conditions of daylight and good visibility and on an uncrowded race course.

After 11th Hour Racing Team tacked on the layline for the next turning mark and established itself as the stand on ‘right of way’ boat, the crew on GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, required to give way in this situation, apparently didn’t see the other boat until it was too late. The resulting collision caused enough damage to send both boats back to port.

“I was helming and I just saw their boat appear suddenly and it was too late,” lamented Ben Dutreux, the skipper of the GUYOT boat. “The contact was unavoidable [at that point]. I take full responsibility. It is our fault.”

In acknowledging fault, GUYOT environnement - Team Europe has retired from Leg 7 of the race, a disappointing turn of events for a team that had proved resilient in coming back from an earlier dismasting.

For 11th Hour Racing Team, the damage from the collision is a big X factor the team now has to deal with. With his team currently at the head of the leaderboard and riding a wave of three consecutive leg victories, skipper Charlie Enright had been looking forward to a hard-fought race into Genoa that, given the right result, would see them winning The Ocean Race by beating their nearest competitor, Team Holcim-PRB, on the water. Now, through no fault of their own, the story takes a different turn.

“The most important thing is that everyone on their boat and on our boat is okay,” Enright said on the dock, not long after the collision. “Where we go from here is uncertain at this stage. It’s life, it’s racing. There is nothing we would have done differently and accidents happen.

“This race has a way of testing people in different ways, physically and mentally, and this is a test for our team. But there is no team I would rather be on, that I would rather have with me. If anyone can figure this out, it is us, I genuinely believe that; we will just have to see what that process looks like as we get more information.”

In a team statement on Friday (16 June), Enright confirmed the bad news — the team has withdrawn from Leg 7.

“We are working around the clock to repair the boat as quickly as possible, and our intent is to sail to Genova to rejoin the fleet and complete this lap around our blue planet,” he said. “Everyone is obviously devastated — no one wants to finish a race like this — but spirits are high within the team, and everyone is focused on finishing this incredible race on a high note.”

The team has also officially filed a Request for Redress. Retiring from the leg and filing for redress gives the team the best chance, within the rules of the event, to secure the points it needs to win the overall race.

VO65 Sprint Cup Stage 3 start day onboard Austrian Ocean Racing - Team Genova | Credit: Stefan Leitner/Austrian Ocean Racing - Team Genova/The Ocean Race

While this incident overshadowed the Leg 7 start, there are still three boats racing towards Genova in the IMOCA class, including Team Holcim-PRB who showed an impressive burst of speed off the starting line to build a lead over 11th Hour Racing Team and GUYOT envrionnement before the fateful collision.

Skipper Benjamin Schwartz pushed his boat and crew hard and they would go on to lead Team Malizia and Biotherm out of The Hague starting area towards the North Sea. As the three boats worked through the exclusion zones and into the English Channel, racing remained extremely close. As of Friday afternoon UTC (16 June) the trio are within eight nautical miles on the race tracker leaderboard, with Team Holcim-PRB holding a modest advantage.

Earlier on Thursday, it was the VO65 fleet with the first start of the day, their racing getting underway just after 1300 local time, under mostly sunny skies and in a nine-12 knot northerly breeze.

After pleasing the home fans with a win in the In-Port Race, the local heroes on the Dutch-flagged Team JAJO once again led the way on Thursday, making an early pass on the first downwind leg and extending away to lead the fleet through the departure gate and away from The Hague.

“This has been super nice,” said Team JAJO skipper Jelmer van Beek from on board as the boat passed through the final starting gate. “It’s great to have so many people out on the water supporting us. It keeps amazing me. And we’re in first place so a good start for us on the race to Genova.”

Just behind JAJO was WindWhisper Racing Team, the overall leader in the VO65 flee, the team JAJO has to beat to Genoa to have a chance at the title — and as of Friday afternoon, the team in the lead as the front-runners approach the Channel Islands. Austrian Ocean Racing/Genova, Mirpuri-Trifork Racing and Viva Mexico were all lined up behind the leaders as they sailed downwind from The Hague and they remain in contention, with only 20 miles separating the fleet.

Rankings at 1700 UTC, 16 June

IMOCA:

1. Team Holcim-PRB, 1,935.9 miles to finish
2. Biotherm, 2.6 miles to leader

3. Team Malizia, 7.5 miles to finish

VO65
:

1. WindWhisper Racing, 1,902 miles to finish
2. Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team, 1.6 miles to leader
3. Team JAJO, 9.1 miles to leader
4. Viva México, 13.1 miles to leader
5. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 20.4 miles to leader

Follow both fleets’ progress via the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.

Meanwhile, sailors in both fleets in The Ocean Race 2022-23 are preparing for a challenging Leg 7 towards the Grand Finale in Genoa, Italy.

For the IMOCA fleet that has raced around the world, this ultimate leg of the race is decisive — the winner will be crowned in Genoa.

Skipper Charlie Enright and his 11th Hour Racing Team have put themselves in a strong position with three consecutive leg wins to build a two-point lead over Team Holcim-PRB.

As the American team also holds the advantage in the tie-breaking In-Port Race Series, the only way for skipper Benjamin Schwartz’s Holcim-PRB team to overcome the deficit is to finish three points clear ahead on this final stage.

“It’s not only up to us to win this leg, we have to finish in front of 11th Hour Racing Team, either in first or second, and then they have to be fourth or fifth — those are the only only options,” Schwartz said at the skippers’ press conference on Wednesday (14 June). “So we’re going to try to win this leg, and then we’ll need a bit of help from the other teams if we are going to win The Ocean Race.”

For Enright, the task is clear: “We’ve sailed a lot of miles around the world already, but there’s 2,000 very, very, very complex miles left to go,” he said. “We’ve just had our weather briefing and this is shaping up to be like an extended version of the last leg, which was the most complex one that we’ve done to date.

“It’s tricky and the points are close. We’ll still try to sail aggressively, but also stay humble. We recognise where we are, what the situation is, so we’re looking forward to the next leg, and I’m sure it’s gonna come right down to the end, because it always seems to do that.”

Things are slightly easier at the head of the VO65 Sprint fleet, where Poland’s WindWhisper Racing Team has won the opening two stages of the competition. However, by earning second- and third-place finishes, Team JAJO remains within striking distance.

“I think it’s not going to be over until we cross the finish line in Genova,” was the cautious take from Pablo Arrarte, the WindWhisper skipper. “Anything can happen — you can break the boat or you can have other issues. So we’ll approach this stage the same way as the others. We will do our best, sail the boat as fast as possible, and we will work very hard until the finish.”

Gerwin Jansen is leading Austrian Ocean Racing - powered by Team Genova on a race to the team’s home port, so motivation is high.

“Obviously, there’s quite a lot of pressure on us because we’re sailing to our home port, and expectations are high in Genova, but we like the challenge,” Jansen said. “It’s a very long, complicated leg, so I think the key is to stay fresh, and then the plan is to keep close through Gibraltar and then overtake all of them in the Mediterranean.”

Sailors in both fleets spoke about the complexity of the race to the Grand Finale in Genoa. The start will take the teams into a North Sea crowded with shipping, wind farms and challenging currents, before the Bay of Biscay and race to Gibraltar offers a more traditional ‘offshore’ style of racing.

But then comes the Mediterranean and the final third of the leg racing through early summer conditions on a body of water that can throw any and all kinds of weather at the fleet.

With all this, it’s shaping up to be a fantastic push to the Grand Finale in Genoa with the results open in both the VO65 and IMOCA fleets.

Racing starts on Thursday afternoon 15 June at 13:10 local time (CEST) for the VO65 class and at 18:15 for the IMOCA fleet.

The Hague served up some of the best racing conditions the IMOCA fleet has seen in this edition of The Ocean Race on Tuesday afternoon (13 June) as bright sunshine and strong winds approaching 20 knots made for fast and furious foiling for the In-Port Race.

Benjamin Dutreux’s GUYOT environnement - Team Europe hit the starting line at top speed, on the foils, and he was able to sail directly over the top of Team Holcim-PRB and poke in front of 11th Hour Racing Team for good measure.

With the flying IMOCA boats leaping out of the water on their foils and the sailors just on the edge of control, it was a fast reach to the first mark.

At one point it looked like Dutreux might not be able to lay the mark, but he was just able to squeeze up and take the inside track around Mark 1, just seconds ahead of 11th Hour Racing Team.

Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia was close behind and with an early gybe, took the inside lane to pass 11th Hour Racing Team.

Meanwhile, Dutreux extended away to build his lead on the first lap of the race course.

The GUYOT crew celebrate their In-Port Race win | Credit: Sailing Energy/The Ocean Race

Charlie Enright’s 11th Hour Racing Team was able to regain second place from Malizia just before the end of lap one while Biotherm and Team Holcim-PRB exchanged positions further back.

On the second lap of the race course — extended slightly in the strong winds — Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm began to make a charge, pushing into Team Malizia and putting the pressure on the German team, but Boris Herrmann and his crew held their nerve and position.

Over the rest of lap two, Benjamin Dutreux and his crew sailed a flawless race in the challenging conditions to cross the finishing line and earn their first win of The Ocean Race.

After their emotional comeback from a dismasting in Aarhus, this will be a popular result among The Ocean Race family and race fans, a just reward for a team that has shown remarkable resilience in getting onto the start line time and again after numerous setbacks.

“It’s nice, so nice,” Dutreux said moments after crossing the line. “Great team spirit. It was very much about pushing hard and concentrating. It’s great, I am happy to bring a win for all of the team.”

“We’re happy. We raced very calm, very clean,” said Annie Lush from the winning boat. “It’s really nice to get a win. We know the others are pushing hard as these results really count for some of the other teams, so it’s good to know we can still be faster than them even when the others are pushing that hard.”

The second place finish for Charlie Enright’s 11th Hour Racing Team puts them in a very strong position on the In-Port Race leaderboard. This will give the American team additional comfort heading into the final leg of The Ocean Race, as the In-Port series standings act as a tie breaking mechanism for the overall race leaderboard.

In the shadow of the sails as foiling IMOCAs duel in The Hague | Credit: Sailing Energy/The Ocean Race

“That was super intense, it was windy and we had some serious jockeying for position at the start with Holcim-PRB,” Enright said. “The start was in 20 knots, and by marks 1 and 2 it was nearly 25 knots!

“The whole team did a great job today. We got really close to the starting line but we were able to get over the top of Holcim-PRB and put it away early. Malizia got around us but we got them back and added another point on them on the scoreboard as well.”

Team Malizia held off Biotherm for third place, leaving Team Holcim-PRB in fifth — a disappointing result for Benjamin Schwartz and his crew after a good start.

“These In-Port Races are so much fun,” Boris Herrmann said. “We didn’t have an ideal start but we recovered to second, but then we left just a little gap and 11th Hour Racing Team squeezed inside us and held on [for second place].”

“We had a good start, but got frozen out by the others,” Holcim-PRB skipper Schwartz said. “When you lose the foils like that on a reaching start there isn’t much you can do. Of course it’s not the result we wanted but we managed to get around the race course with a new crew so we can be happy with that and now we focus on the next leg.”

Next up is the In-Port Race for the VO65 fleet, starting at 17:40 local time in The Hague on Wednesday afternoon (14 June) with similar conditions in the forecast.

IMOCA In-Port Race - The Hague

1. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe - 5 points
2. 11th Hour Racing Team - 4 points
3. Team Malizia - 3 points
4. Biotherm - 2 points
5. Team Holcim-PRB - 1 point

The result was in doubt until the final moments of Leg 6 of The Ocean Race 2022-23, with 11th Hour Racing Team along with Team Holcim-PRB and Team Malizia racing within shouting distance of each other during most of Sunday morning (11 June).

The final approach to The Hague required one short upwind section where the boats were criss-crossing within metres with each tack. But skipper Charlie Enright’s 11th Hour Racing Team held their nerve and made the final turn south with a small lead they would manage to hold through the IMOCA finishing line.

“They crossed ahead of us, we were actually behind with about 25-30 miles to go,” Enright said in disbelief at the intensity of the racing. “But a big thanks to everyone on board just never giving up the fight and digging in and always believing…

“Even when the other guys kept coming into us from behind, I think we just thought we were not gonna let them win that way. But what an unbelievable race all of these teams sailed — Holcim-PRB, Malizia, Biotherm, GUYOT. This was a tough, treacherous race course. Everybody deserves congratulations for their finish here in The Hague.”

Just 12 minutes behind, Team Holcim-PRB crossed the finishing line after fending off a late charge from Team Malizia who crossed just over a minute later. The top three boats in the fleet were within 15 minutes.

“This was a very intense leg,” said Team Holcim-PRB skipper Benjamin Schwartz. “We pushed as hard as we could and now we have to focus on the final leg into Genova.”

Team Malizia crossing the finish line in The Hague with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of The Netherlands onboard | Credit: Sailing Energy/The Ocean Race

The results leave the Holcim-PRB team trailing 11th Hour Racing Team by two points on the overall leaderboard. Malizia is a further four points behind.

“Mixed feelings for us on this leg,” said Malizia’s Will Harris. “Obviously happy to have been able to catch up so much in the last part of the leg, but we would have liked to grab at least one more point.”

The reception in The Hague was overwhelming for Team Malizia’s Dutch crew member Rosalin Kuiper, who has grown into a star here over the course of the race.

“This has been such a special day to be here with all of this support from friends and family,” she said. “I’ve devoted a third of my life to professional sailing and being able to share this with all the people who have supported me is amazing.”

Moments after the Malizian boat crossed the finishing line, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of The Netherlands climbed on board to welcome Rosalin and the Malizia crew.

Not far behind the leading trio, Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm secured a fourth-place finish over Benjamin Dutreux and his team on GUYOT evironnement - Team Europe, who returned to for the race to The Hague following a dismasting on Leg 4.

WindWhisper Racing Team arrives first in The Hague at 11:23:33 UTC for a race time of two days, 21 hours, 13 minutes and 33 seconds | Credit: Sailing Energy/The Ocean Race

In the VO65 Sprint Cup, WindWhisper Racing Team stretched their lead at the top of the table as the fleet returned for the one design class’ second stage.

It’s two wins in a row for the team, after a victory in stage one from Alicante to Cabo Verde in January.

“Of course it’s important to get the win and with Team JAJO in third place, this gives us a little bit of breathing space heading into the final race to Genoa,” said skipper Pablo Arrarte.

“It was a very challenging leg — we had everything you would expect in a long race packed into three days. I’m proud of the team and happy with the result.”

The Mirpuri-Trifork Racing Team took a well-earned second place over the local heroes on Team JAJO, with Austrian Ocean Racing-Team Genova ahead of Viva Mexico.

“It’s good to be home,” said Team JAJO skipper Jelmer van Beek. “It has been a short and hectic three-day race. Awesome to arrive for this home crowd and to be cheered on by all the boats out on the water and all the fans in the harbour. We even had some spectator boats already following us from IJmuiden which was really magnificent. Now it’s time for some beers, food from my mom and a short sleep!”

WindWhisper Racing Team has now opened up a three-point margin on the VO65 Sprint leaderboard, but the standings behind are very close and the Grand Finale leg into Genoa will be decisive.

IMOCA Scoreboard after Leg 6:

1. 11th Hour Racing Team – 33 points
2. Team Holcim-PRB – 31 points
3. Team Malizia – 27 points
4. Biotherm – 19 points
5. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe – 2 points

VO65 Scoreboard after Stage 2:

1. WindWhisper Racing Team – 12 points
2. Team JAJO – 9 points
3. Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova – 7 points
4. Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team – 5 points
5. Viva México – 4 points
6. Ambersail 2 – 3 points

The flying, foiling IMOCA fleet racing in The Ocean Race and the one-designs competing in the VO65 Sprint both left Aarhus on Thursday (8 June), their race starts separated by two hours.

And while the IMOCAs turned south to race into the Kiel Fjord in front of tens of thousands of fans on Friday, the VO65s pushed north to a turning mark off the coast of Norway.

But today (Saturday 10 June) the two fleets are coming together again, off the west coast of Denmark, as the 65s pass a turning mark and the IMOCAs push south down the Danish coast.

After their different routes, both fleets are making fast miles towards The Hague with an expected arrival on Sunday afternoon.

“We’re just at the top of Denmark trying to squeeze by a little Traffic Separation Scheme,” said Charlie Enright — skipper of 11th Hour Racing Team, the leading boat in the IMOCA fleet — appearing visibly fatigued on Saturday morning.

“We’ve got Team Holcim-PRB in sight this morning. We did a nice job stretching on them last night but they’ve come back into us. But we’re in good shape, spirits are high, even if people are tired… But I think we only have about 30 hours left so we will gut it out.”

There will be a lot of that happening. This is the shortest leg of the race and while it is too long — 800 miles, nearly three days — to stay awake, it is also too short for most of the teams to fully implement their watch systems. So there will be tired sailors arriving in The Hague on Sunday afternoon.

11th Hour Racing Team and Team Holcim-PRB, the two leaders on the overall race points table, have made a slight break from the trailing trio of Biotherm, Team Malizia and GUYOT environnement - Team Europe. A win into The Hague would give 11th Hour Racing Team a nice margin on the leaderboard heading into the last leg towards the Grand Finale in Genoa.

In the VO65 fleet it is WindWhisper Racing Team continuing to hold pole position over Team JAJO and Mirpuri/Trifork Racing, although the racing here is very close — the spread between first and fifth is less than 25 miles.

“It’s been an interesting start to the leg,” said Pablo Arrarte, the skipper on WindWhisper. “We’ve had all kinds of conditions — upwind, downwind, reaching, light wind, a lot of wind. Luckily we are leading still…”

Both fleets are expected to finish on Sunday afternoon in The Hague, with the exact ETA still uncertain as conditions near the finish are not locked in with the weather forecast yet.

But a 10-boat arrival on an extremely sunny and warm Sunday afternoon in The Hague promises to be exciting sport, and a fabulous spectacle for fans of The Ocean Race.

Rankings at 1510 UTC, 10 June

IMOCA:

1. 11th Hour Racing Team, 269.6 miles to finish
2. Team Holcim-PRB, 3.9 miles to finish
3. Biotherm, 36.5 miles to leader

4. Team Malizia, 39.3 miles to leader
5. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, 57.1 miles to leader

VO65
:

1. WindWhisper Racing, 266.1 miles to finish
2. Team JAJO, 4.3 miles to leader
3. Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team, 12.8 miles to leader
4. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 14.7 miles to leader
5. Viva México, 25.6 miles to leader

Follow both fleets’ progress via the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.

The last time The Ocean Race was in Kiel was on 9 June 2002 and the German team Illbruck Challenge was being celebrated for winning the Volvo Ocean Race. In the crowd was a young German sailor beginning his career — Boris Herrmann — and the event made a lasting impressions.

“I used to live in Kiel, I finished my studies there, I sailed and trained a lot there, so I have a great connection to the city,” Herrmann said in anticipation of Friday’s (9 June) events. “I also experienced The Ocean Race myself there in 2002 with the legendary victory of the Illbruck. I was on the water and remember that day as if it was yesterday.”

Today, The Ocean Race returned to Kiel for a Friday afternoon Fly-By with the IMOCA fleet and the crowds were out in force to cheer on Herrmann, now the skipper of Team Malizia.

“Racing into the Kieler Innenförde with my team and boat, after having sailed around the world, and seeing the many fans expected there is something I am really looking forward to,” he said.

On Friday the competitive advantage went to Charlie Enright’s 11th Hour Racing Team, leading the fleet into the fjord, around the turning mark and back out to sea, with a Sunday finish in The Hague the next objective. Team Holcim-PRB and Biotherm weren’t far behind.

But the love and affection from the crowd in Kiel was for the final two boats, Herrmann’s Malizia and GUYOT environnement - Team Europe with German Olympian Robert Stanjek and national champion Phillip Kasüske on board.

“Look at how many boats there are, it’s unbelievable,” Herrmann said with a big smile as his team made their way up the fjord. “This is very, very nice. This moment has been a big motivation for us the entire race.”

In the VO65 fleet, meanwhile, the racing has been fast after making the turn at the Langesund marker just off the coast of Norway. Pablo Arrarte’s WindWhisper Racing Team led the fleet around the mark and remains in a close battle with the Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team. Further back, three teams have split away, staying close to the coast, led by Team JAJO.

“It’s been tough since the start,” said Joy Fitzgerald on Team JAJO. “It was a really long first night, with a lot of manoeuvres, a lot of sail changes, and so we’re all just trying to catch up on a bit of sleep now.

“We’ve had no wind, a little wind and then we had all the wind! It was pretty wet on deck as well!”

As of 1900 UTC on Friday, the VO65 fleet is charging south towards an offshore turning mark, before heading back towards the west coast of Denmark and then being freed up to head to the finish in The Hague, with an ETA on Sunday 11 June.

Rankings at 1900 UTC, 9 June

IMOCA:

1. 11th Hour Racing Team, 588.8 miles to finish
2. Team Holcim-PRB, 12.8 miles to finish
3. Biotherm, 20.6 miles to leader

4. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, 30.3 miles to leader
5. Team Malizia, 31.1 miles to leader

 VO65
:

1. WindWhisper Racing, 428.9 miles to finish
2. Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team, 7.4 miles to leader
3. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 11.7 miles to leader
4. Team JAJO, 12.6 miles to leader
5. Viva México, 18.8 miles to leader

Follow both fleets’ progress via the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.