Conditions in Aarhus have been incredible so far during The Ocean Race stopover and the sunny skies are forecast to continue into Sunday’s In-Port Race (4 June). Crowds have been enjoying the warmth and the city of smiles has been living up to its name.

Sunday’s In-Port Race marks the return of the VO65 fleet as they resume the VO65 Sprint. After racing from Alicante to Cabo Verde in January, the fleet returns with some familiar faces and new sailors getting a first opportunity on the world's greatest crewed offshore race.

For the IMOCA fleet, the In-Port Race series leaderboard acts as a tie-breaking mechanism for the overall results in The Ocean Race. With the points table for the race being so close at the top, results here are very important.

11th Hour Racing Team leads this series and has never finished lower than second place in the four races to date. But despite that impressive streak, they are only one point clear of Team Malizia, while Team Holcim-PRB sits a further six points back.

The VO65 fleet kicks things off on Sunday with racing starting at 12.10 local time (10.10 UTC). Then it will be the IMOCAs at 14.15 local time (12.15 UTC).

The forecast is for a light sea breeze of four to seven knots, which should get more established as the day progresses.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Aarhus, come down to Ocean Live Park in Havnepladsen to catch the action or follow along on Event TV.

In most of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and many parts of Asia, Sunday’s In-Port Race will be available live or on demand on the Eurosport app or discovery+ player.

The last time we saw the VO65 fleet in The Ocean Race was in January and the teams had just completed the opening stage of the VO65 Sprint, from Alicante in Spain to Cabo Verde.

The Polish-flagged WindWhisper Racing Team won the race south from the Mediterranean out to the Atlantic, with Team JAJO and Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova rounding out the podium.

Now the fleet is making its way north to Aarhus, Denmark in anticipation of meeting up once again with The Ocean Race ahead of the second stage of the VO65 Sprint.

The WindWhisper Racing Team is already in Aarhus, training ahead of the leg.

“We’re really looking forward to being back in the race from Aarhus onwards, especially after our excellent first stage from Alicante to Cabo Verde in January,” said WindWhisper Spanish skipper Pablo Arrarte.

“We are ready, the boat is ready. Our international crew has a strong Polish component and will have a few changes but the core will remain the same and we plan to have up to six sailors under 30 years old to give the youth a great opportunity to improve their skills in a truly professional environment.”

“Aarhus is a great place we know well and which always gives a special feeling, so we’re looking forward to coming back to Aarhus,” said Jelmer van Beek, skipper of Team JAJO. “It’s time for the VO65s to rejoin the race. For now we’re in second place, we’re happy with that. But the race is far from over, we’re only looking ahead. We will do everything we can to give the WindWhisper Racing Team a hard time and make it a tough race.”

“I am thrilled to be back in The Ocean Race again,” said Gerwin Jansen, skipper of Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova. “It was tough to see IMOCA boats racing in the Southern Ocean without us, but we used that time to work hard and improve our boat and sails. With these upgrades, we’re more competitive than ever and ready to hunt down the leaders. We’re excited for the challenge ahead.”

“We are looking forward to being back onboard Viva México for the start of stage two in the VO65 Sprint,” said Erik Brockmann, skipper of Viva México. “It felt like a long break, following the race from on shore, but now we are ready and excited to be back!

“The first stage of the race did not go as we would have liked but finishing and getting those two points really is giving us a chance now to fight for a podium finish which is our goal. We’re really looking forward to seeing everyone in Aarhus!”

The Ambersail team will not return for the final two stages of The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint, while the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team is in a new collaboration with Trifork for the final two stages of the event.

Race veteran Roberto ‘Chuny’ Bermúdez de Castro from Spain will skipper the Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team.”I am really happy to be part of this great team, which has come together in a record time,” he said. “We are a mix of people who know each other from a long time ago along with a new generation of young sailors. We have a fantastic boat which is in really good shape. I really appreciate the owners for their efforts to put all this together. We are looking forward to great racing in the VO65 Sprint.”

The teams will assemble in Aarhus in the coming days ahead of the In-Port Race next Sunday 4 June, and then the VO65 fleet will race directly to The Hague (with no Kiel Fly-By) starting on Thursday 8 June. The last stage of the VO65 Sprint takes the fleet to Genoa, Italy for the Grand Finale.

As Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm (fourth place) and Benjamin Dutreux’s GUYOT environnement - Team Europe (fifth place) completed the IMOCA rankings overnight, the Dutch Team JAJO earned a strong second place finish in The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint, behind Poland’s WindWhisper Racing Team who had finished earlier on Saturday (21 January) with an impressive VO65 class victory.

Dutch skipper Jelmer van Beek led his team across the finishing line at 17:52:52 UTC for a leg time of 6d 4h 52m 52s.

“We struggled a little bit in the first part of the race, we couldn’t keep up with the others, but when we came out of Gibraltar we were getting better and better, sail changes were better, we sailing sharper,” Van Beek said. “We can always find a little bit more speed, get a little quicker, but we are happy with a second place finish. It’s really nice to be here in Cabo Verde.”

With the top two positions decided, it appeared Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team would claim third position. But as the team approached Mindelo, it announced it would retire from Leg One after having missed a mark of the race course back in the Gibraltar Strait.

Observant fans of the race tracker will recall the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team boat traced a course to the south of, and into, an exclusion zone, which was also designated as a mark of the race course. By not correcting the error, the team would not have scored points for its efforts in this first stage of the race, and elected to retire from the leg before finishing.

A statement from the team read: “…technical issues onboard resulted in us failing to leave the South Gibraltar Exclusion Zone to port as per the racing instructions. As we have missed a mark of the course the team has made the decision to retire from Leg One of The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint 2023.”

“We are very disappointed for this,” admitted skipper Antonio Fontes. “But the crew has done an amazing job getting us out of the Mediterranean in very hard conditions. Then we had the super-fast sailing conditions in the Atlantic and it was a lot of fun racing from Gibraltar to here.”

The retirement opened the door to a podium finish for Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova, who were the last team enter The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint and only arrived in the start port of Alicante, Spain days before the beginning of the event.

The fourth VO65 to finish was the Lithuanian-flagged Ambersail 2, arriving on Sunday morning.

That leaves Viva Mexico as the only team still racing. Skipper Erik Brockmann and his team are still 600 miles away from Cabo Verde after stopping in the Spanish port of Almeria to make changes to their mainsail.

With the podium positions decided overnight Friday night — Team Holcim-PRB; 11th Hour Racing Team; Team Malizia — Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm team has been racing to collect one extra point over GUYOT environnement - Team Europe. On Saturday night, the team crossed the finishing line at 23:47:40 to secure fourth place.

“Wow. It was amazing,” said Meilhat. “That was the first time we had all of the crew on board. I tried to take care of the people first and the boat second and we were successful — we are here with no big damage and all of us safe and happy and ready to race again.”

Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova arrive in Cabo Verde on Sunday morning 22 January with an elapsed time of 6 days 19 hours 13 mins 54 sec and a place on the podium following Mirpuri’s retirement | Credit: Sailing Energy/The Ocean Race

This left Ben Dutreux’s French-German team to finish the course in fifth place.

“Unfortunately we ended up having less wind with our option near the African coast and we needed to gybe out before the left shift arrived. We knew that we played some risk there but it hit us very hard,” wrote Robert Stanjeck on board GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, as the team was flying on foils during the final run to Cabo Verde.

“So we had to regroup and define what we want to achieve in the last two days of leg 1. We shifted our focus on practicing and getting things ready for leg 2. At the moment we are flying with 24 knots downwind in a pleasant sea towards the finish. Can’t wait to get a cold beer!”

At 02:20 local time early on Sunday morning (22 January) he would get his wish, with GUYOT envrionnement - Team Eruope across the finish line to complete the IMOCA results for leg one.

There is no in-port race in Cabo Verde. As a short stopover, teams are highly restricted in how they can operate, with all work on board to be completed by the sailing team.

The start of Leg Two to Cape Town is scheduled for Wednesday 25 January at 17:10 local time (18:10 UTC). Live race coverage will be available on Eurosport and discovery+ platforms.

Ambersail 2 arrive in Cabo Verde late Sunday morning 22 January | Credit: Sailing Energy/The Ocean Race

Leg One Rankings at 13:45 UTC, 22 January

IMOCA
:

1. Team Holcim-PRB, winner leg one, finished - 5d 11h 01m 59s

2. 11th Hour Racing Team, finished - 5d 13h 50m 45s

3. Team Malizia, finished - 5d 16h 35m 21s
4. Biotherm, finished - 6d 8h 47m

5. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, finished - 6d 12h 20m 37s

VO65:

1. WindWhisper Racing, finished, 5d 16h 35m 21s

2. Team JAJO, finished, 6d 4h 52m 52s

3. Austrian Ocean Racing - Team Genova, finished, 6d 19h 13m 54s
4. Ambersail 2, finished, 6d 21h 49m 04s
5. Viva Mexico, 591.3 miles to leader

6. Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team - Retired from leg

Follow the remaining boat’s progress to Cabo Verde with regular updates via the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.

The Ocean Race veteran Pablo Arrarte has led WindWhisper Racing Team to victory in the first stage of the inaugural The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint on Saturday afternoon (21 January).

The Polish-flagged team battled hard on the opening 48 hours of the race to escape the brutal conditions of the Mediterranean with a lead and was able to extend and protect from there in the fast, downwind conditions of the Atlantic.

WindWhisper crossed the finishing line at 14:11:14 UTC with an elapsed time of 6d 01h 11min 14s.

“It was a challenge to get out of the Mediterranean in one piece without breaking the boat because we had a lot wind — we saw more than 50 knots — so it was intense and hard,” Arrarte said.

“We knew coming out of Gibraltar leading it would be easier to stay in front than to get in front later, so with [navigator] Axel Magdahl we made a good plan and we executed it and by leading coming out the rest of the race was good.

“It’s been an amazing race. We knew we were just doing this one leg right now so that allowed us to push hard. I’m glad we had this group, with some good experience as well as the young guys, and it was awesome to be out there again competing with the other teams. We’ve really enjoyed it.”

Overnight, the first IMOCAs arrived with Team Holcim-PRB taking the win with a near three-hour lead, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

VO65 Rankings at 17:30 UTC, 21 January

1. WindWhisper Racing, finished, 5d 16h 35min 21s
2. Team JAJO, 18.7 distance to finish
3. Mirpuri Foundation Race Team, 59.4 miles to leader
4. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 159.3 miles to leader
5. Ambersail 2, 224.6 miles to leader
6. Viva Mexico, 850.5 miles to leader

Follow the remaining boats’ progress to Cabo Verde with regular updates via the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.

French skipper Kevin Escoffier led his Swiss-flagged Team Holcim-PRB to victory in Leg 1 of The Ocean Race 2022-23 in the early hours of Saturday morning (21 January).

It marked the end of an intense and challenging opening to The Ocean Race — from storm force headwinds in the Mediterranean to fast downwind conditions in the Atlantic with tactical options around the Canary Islands.

The Holcim-PRB team took the lead just before Gibraltar Strait and held on the rest of the way despite the strong pushes from 11th Hour Racing Team and Malizia.

Finally, early on Saturday, Escoffier and his crew raced across the finish line on the waters off Mindelo, Cabo Verde, just after 02:01:59 UTC, completing an impressive performance on the first leg of the race with an elapsed time of five days, 11 hours, 1 minute and 59 seconds.

Team Holcim-PRB crew celebrate their leg win on deck in Cabo Verde | Credit: Sailing Energy/The Ocean Race

“The boat is great. Both upwind and downwind, reaching, we have always been fast,” Escoffier said. “I’m very happy to start like this. It was our first race together as a full crew and I don’t regret any of the the choices. They are all great and together we went for the win.”

Second across the line — nearly three hours later — was Charlie Enright’s 11th Hour Racing Team, who held off a late challenge from Team Malizia on the final day of the leg.

“I think the competition is good,” said Enright on the dock after finishing. “We have fast boats, good sailors. There are different strengths and weaknesses in the boats. Everyone is going to have their day and we’re certainly not taking anything for granted but if we focus on what we can control I think we’re going to be fine. We’re jumping at the opportunity to get going on the next leg.”

For Boris Herrmann, securing a podium finish puts the German team in a safe position after the opening stanza, with six more legs of racing left to gain points.

The top three IMOCAs finished within five-and-a-half hours. Fourth-placed Biotherm and GUYOT environnement - Team Europe are forecast to arrive in Mindelo later on Saturday afternoon.

In the VO65 class, the Polish WindWhisper Racing Team is in a strong position at the head of the fleet over Team JAJO and Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team. All three should finish on Saturday afternoon, with Austrian Ocean Racing — Team Genova, Ambersail 2 and Viva México further behind.

These teams are competing for The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup and will pause their racing activities after this opening stage until the spring, when they resume racing in Aarhus, Denmark.

For the IMOCAs it’s a short — and busy — break. The sailing teams are required to carry out repairs without the assistance of their shore crews at this stop.

Racing resumes in just a few days, with the Cabo Verde start of Leg Two to Cape Town, South Africa scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

Rankings at 09:00 UTC, 21 January

IMOCA:

1. Team Holcim-PRB, winner leg one, finished - 5d 11h 01min 59s

2. 11th Hour Racing Team, finished - 5d 13h 50min 45s

3. Team Malizia, finished - 5d 16h 35min 21s
4. Biotherm, 188.4 miles to finish

5. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, 64.1 miles to leader

VO65
:

1. WindWhisper Racing, 91.2 miles to finish

2. Team JAJO, 48 miles to leader

3. Mirpuri Foundation Race Team, 125.6 miles to leader
4. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 184.8 miles to leader
5. Ambersail 2, 224.99miles to leader
6. Viva Mexico, 848.5 miles to leader

Follow both fleets’ progress to Cabo Verde with regular updates via the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.

The leading IMOCAs in Leg 1 of The Ocean Race 2022-23 are expected to arrive in Cabo Verde overnight Friday night (20 January) and into Saturday morning as the fleet eats up the miles on ‘the highway’ south. Sailing fast, and pointing at the finish — it’s a great feeling.

Both IMOCA and VO65 fleets have been winding their way past the Canary Islands. Now, it’s just a matter of heading to the finish.

“We are going past the Canary Islands,” said skipper Kevin Escoffier early on Thursday (19 January). “11th Hour Racing Team is the closest boat and they are following us so I think we are safe [in the lead].

“The crew is very good. We have caught up on the watch system about 36 hours, which was difficult to get into right after the start with the hard conditions. We are happy with where are even if it is definitely not finished yet.”

Chasing the leading pair is Team Malizia. “All the boat is working. We had a few issues earlier,” said Will Harris from what appeared to be a fast-charging boat. “Now it’s manageable so it’s pretty perfect. Enjoying the highway south. It’s pretty nice.”

That said, domestic duties are still a challenge at these speeds.

“We just went 33 knots,” said Annie Lush from on board GUYOT environnement - Team Europe. “But sometimes we suddenly decelerate down to about 20 knots, which makes using the stove and hot water on board tricky!”

In the VO65 fleet, the top three teams are within 40 miles, with WindWhisper leading Team JAJO and Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team.

“We placed our bet, gybing south before Tenerife,” wrote WindWhisper navigator Asked Magdahl. “Weather models changed a lot to allow for a more easterly routing down the African coast, suggesting a gybe south amongst the western Canary Islands… I expect strong breeze between Tenerife and Gran Canaria, and with the shipping lane preventing us from making long gybes and possibly forcing sail changes, it will be everyone on deck for six to eight hours.”

WindWhisper was followed by Team JAJO winding through the islands, while Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team elected to chase the leading IMOCAs to the west of the islands, looking for fast downwind sailing.

“We are in the perfect conditions for this boat, 20-25 knots downwind, big waves and going fast in the direction we want to go — to Cabo Verde,” said an exuberant Federico Melo from on board Mirpuri Foundation Race Team.

The leading trio is due to arrive in Cabo Verde on Saturday (21 January), with Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova and Ambersail 2 several hours back. Viva Mexico is now in the Atlantic, but over 750 miles behind.

Rankings at 1800 UTC, 19 January

IMOCA:

1. Team Holcim-PRB, 510.1 miles to finish
2. 11th Hour Racing Team, 30.1 miles to leader

3. Team Malizia, 105.2 miles to leader
4. Biotherm, 206.7 miles to leader
5. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, 236.1 miles to leader

VO65
:

1. WindWhisper Racing, 655.1 miles to finish
2. Team JAJO, 28.4 miles to leader
3. Mirpuri Foundation Race Team, 41.8 miles to leader
4. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 104.5 miles to leader
5. Ambersail 2, 152.9 miles to leader

6. Viva Mexico, 772.1 miles to leader

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

The Swiss-flagged Holcim-PRB team remains at the head of the IMOCA fleet in The Ocean Race on Wednesday (18 January) as all five boats are setting a blistering pace directly towards Cabo Verde.

The leading teams are putting up close to 500-mile days with Holcim-PRB just 895 miles from the finishing line at Cabo Verde (as of 2100 UTC).

Now free of the constraints of the Mediterranean, the teams are set up for some fast sailing across the wind. IMOCAs are designed to excel in these conditions and the miles to the finish line are melting away.

Kevin Escoffier’s Holcim-PRB are holding off 11th Hour Racing Team for the lead, while Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia is positioned furthest east and closest to the direct route rhumb line.

“I think we’ve seen 33.7 knots of boat speed this morning,” said Will Harris on board Team Malizia. “We’re going fast… We’re enjoying some straight line sailing after all the tacking getting to Gibraltar. Looking forward to getting to Cabo Verde in a few days.”

In fact, the ETA for the IMOCA fleet is overnight (UTC) on Friday, with France’s Biotherm and GUYOT envirionnement Team Europe some 100 miles behind the leaders.

In The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint, the trio of WindWhisper Racing Team, Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team and Team JAJO are fighting for the lead and keeping pace with the fourth- and fifth-placed IMOCA boats.

Here, life on board is under ‘firehose’ conditions with water constantly pouring over the deck and into the sailors in the cockpit.

“Everything I brought is either wet, or more wet,” said Cecilia Zorzi (ITA) from on board the fourth-placed Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova. “Nothing is dry but we are still having fun and Cabo Verde is getting closer and closer.”

Still in the Mediterranean, Viva México resumed racing on Wednesday morning with a different mainsail after damaging their original beyond repair. They are just over 550 miles behind the rest of the fleet.

The VO65s are currently expected to arrive in Cabo Verde over the course of the day on Saturday 21 January (UTC).

Rankings at 2100 GMT, 18 January

IMOCA:

1. Team Holcim-PRB, 895.1 miles to finish

2. 11th Hour Racing Team, 20.9 miles to leader

3. Team Malizia, 58.1 miles to leader

4. Biotherm, 104.6 miles to leader

5. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, 131.8 miles to leader

VO65
:

1. WindWhisper Racing, 981 miles to finish

2. Mirpuri Foundation Race Team, 25.9 miles to leader

3. Team JAJO, 32.8 miles to leader
4. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 70 miles to leader

5. Ambersail 2, 130.7 miles to leader

6. Viva Mexico, resumed racing, 636.2 miles to leader

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

Day two of The Ocean Race had the fleet searching for calmer waters by heading towards the Spanish coastline to avoid the worst of the brutal offshore breeze and sea state before breaking through the Strait of Gibraltar and out into the Atlantic.

For the IMOCA fleet in particular, each tack along the shoreline brought the risk of damage. Yet on the other hand, reducing the number of tacks and taking longer legs in between would take them further out into stronger winds and bigger waves.

Striking the correct balance was hard. None more so than for 11th Hour Racing Team and their closest competitor, Holcim-PRB. As they headed west, the pair were locked in a tacking duel.

Leading the way, Charlie Enright’s crew aboard Malama were under pressure to defend their position while at the same time working the best shifts along the shore. Tack for tack, throughout the night Kevin Escoffier’s team were nibbling away at 11th Hour Racing Team’s lead, closing the distance hour by hour.

The crucial passing move would come in the early hours when Holcim-PRB decided to tack onto starboard first. Shortly after they tacked, the wind shifted slightly towards the north, delivering a small but crucial advantage. By the time Enright’s crew matched them, they were trailing Escoffier.

Both could now head directly at the entrance to the Gibraltar Strait in a high-speed, upwind drag race.

Arriving at the Strait first at 0400 UTC provided the upper hand for Team Holcim-PRB. Nine tacks and three hours later, as Escoffier’s team threaded their way through the narrow passage they emerged into the Atlantic. Enright’s 11th Hour Racing had chased hard and after 13 tacks they too broke out into the west.

From here, the weather forecasts and passage analysis at Race Control in Alicante had suggested that the front runners might benefit from taking a more northerly route before they locked into the northerly breeze that would provide the first part of the slingshot south to Cabo Verde. And as the duelling pair headed off along the Spanish coastline, this appeared to be their strategy.

For Holcim-PRB, their tactics had worked but they now had some damage to their mainsail which had been torn close to the luff after the clew of the jib had punched through the sail during a tack. Fortunately, the slightly more settled conditions in the Atlantic provided an opportunity for repair.

Meanwhile, behind them Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia were third through the Strait. “Now we still have to navigate a few fish farms and shallow spots, and there is still traffic, but we are through the first big landmark of the race,” Herrmann said. “Maybe this was the most difficult time. It was a very intense day and night. We saw 50 knots [windspeed] yesterday.”

Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm were fourth. In fifth place was GUYOT environnement – Team Europe who trailed the leaders by 60 nautical miles.

Yet, while they had dropped back from an impressive position in the first 24 hours, the weather forecast suggests that teams that exit the strait later may be able to capitalise on a shift in the breeze and turn south earlier.

While this may offer a potential reprieve to those towards the back of the IMOCA fleet, the benefits of this shifting breeze may well be more significant for the VO65s.

Leading the field in this class was WindWhisper Racing Team, whose tactically smart yet conservative approach has paid off.

On the leaderboard, Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team leapt from fourth to second place in the early evening but their passage through the strait appears to show them sail into the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) exclusion zone, contrary to the sailing instructions. Race Control is looking at the situation and may forward their track to the jury for assessment and a possible penalty.

Behind them, the positions have shifted with Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova slipping back to firth as Team JAJO hold third and AmberSail 2 are right behind in fifth.

“We are just about to exit the Gibraltar Strait,” came the message from Rokas Milevičius, skipper on Ambersail 2. “It has been an intense few days and nights. The team is really looking forward to some Atlantic running, because this upwind in 30-50 knot is not much fun. Wet. Cold. And bumpy. But we suppose that is how it is supposed to be.”

As the fleet passed through the strait, Viva México were still in Almeria after suspending their racing following damage to their mainsail. The team is working to rejoin the race as soon as possible but is pinned in at the port with winds near 40 knots and a heavy sea state.

So, while getting through the Gibraltar Strait was a tactical challenge for all, there is clearly more to come as the two fleets prepare to take on the second stage of Leg 1.

Current ETAs show the leading IMOCAs arriving late on Friday 20 January local time, with the VO65s less than 24 hours behind.

Rankings at 2000 UTC, 17 January 2023

IMOCA:

1. Team Holcim-PRB, 1,396.6 miles to finish
2. 11th Hour Racing Team, 4.6 miles to leader
3. Team Malizia, 45.3 miles to leader
4. Biotherm, 54.1 miles to leader
5. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, 78.5 miles to leader

VO65:

1. WindWhisper Racing, 1,451 miles to finish
2. Mirpuri Foundation Race Team, 7.9 miles to leader
3. Team JAJO, 12.8 miles to leader
4. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 22.2 miles to leader
5. Ambersail 2, 31.7 miles to leader
6. Viva Mexico, suspended racing, 252.7 miles to leader

Follow both fleets’ progress (now updated hourly) via the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.

The opening 24 hours of The Ocean Race 2022-23 have been challenging, but not unexpected.

After running into a quiet spell overnight, during which both fleets concertinaed, the forecast has played out its threat with strong winds and big seas sweeping across the Alboran Sea.

In the IMOCA fleet, after an impressively dominant performance from Biotherm (FRA), Paul Meilhat’s team found themselves trapped in very light winds, unable to keep pace with competitors that had taken alternative routes.

By the morning, 11th Hour Racing Team was leading the field as Charlie Enright’s crew hugged the Spanish coastline to stay in the flatter water.

“As is often the case [on the first day] it has been far from straightforward,” 11th Hour Racing Team’s Simon Fisher said.

“Multiple transitions, a lot of sail changes, but we’ve come out in good shape, we’re leading the fleet, and we’re into the pressure.”

And in the increased wind pressure, conditions were becoming extreme. Back at race control in Alicante, where all the competitors’ data is monitored and logged 24 hours a day, the American-flagged team and Kevin Escoffier’s Holcim PRB (SUI) were sailing upwind at 14 knots in 40 knots of wind.

Shortly before starting the leg, Holcim PRB’s crew member Sam Goodchild outlined their approach to the first leg.

“Our mantra is definitely to keep it simple,” he said. “While we’ve all sailed the boat separately, the four of us have only sailed together as a crew on this boat three times before the first leg, so there’s a good reason for keeping it simple.

“We are also going to be looking at the other teams, what they’re doing and what their performance is. We’re not going to tie ourselves in knots trying to chase them around and trying to cover everyone else, because on the first leg, we don’t really know where we sit.”

For Viva México (MEX), the team suffered a torn mainsail forcing them to postpone racing and head for Almeria where they were looking to either repair or replace the damaged sail.

“It puts us in a tough situation because right now we cannot repair it here and we are looking at our options,” said skipper Erik Brockmann. “We were really trying to get out of Gibraltar as soon as possible because the weather gets worse later on and this six to eight hour delay puts us in a tougher situation. The good thing is everyone is safe and the boat is good.”

While most of the VO65 fleet were staying close to the Spanish coastline in an effort to remain in flatter water, Ambersail 2 chose to take a flyer from the fleet when the breeze was light and cross the Mediterranean, presumably to avoid being trapped in light winds to the north.

Their gamble took them close to the North African coastline but when they tacked onto port to head back the breeze had veered putting them on the wrong side of the shift. As they headed back towards the north, their flyer didn’t appear to have paid off. Their route had also taken them across the windiest part of the Mediterranean; now they were committed to more.

Rankings at 1600 GMT, 16 January 2023

IMOCA:

1. 11th Hour Racing Team, 1,652 miles to finish
2. Team Holcim-PRB, 2.3 miles to leader
3. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, 18.1 miles to leader
4. Team Malizia, 20.4 miles to leader
5. Biotherm, 24.9 miles to leader

VO65:

1. Ambersail 2, 1665 miles to finish
2. WindWhisper Racing, 1.6 miles to leader
3. Mirpuri Foundation Race Team, 1.6 miles to finish
4. Team JAJO, 6.7 miles to leader
5. Austrian Ocean Race - Team Genova, 7.4 miles to leader
6. Viva Mexico, suspended racing, 38 miles to leader

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

As The Ocean Race celebrates its 50th jubilee, a fleet consisting of the best sailors in the world set off on what is widely considered to be the toughest test of a team in sport.

Five IMOCA class yachts — the high-tech, foiling, flying race boats that are in The Ocean Race for the first time — started in glamour conditions on the waters off Alicante’s Ocean Live Park just after 4pm local time.

Two hours earlier, a fleet of six VO65 one-design yachts set off on the first stage of their shorter, European-focussed event, The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint, which features three stages of competition.

While both fleets are now racing to Cabo Verde, some 1,900 nautical miles away, the IMOCAs continue their race around the world, while the VO65s will pause in Cabo Verde before rejoining the IMOCA fleet in Europe in the spring for the final two legs of their race.

All the sailors were seen off by over 110,000 exuberant fans who visited the park this weekend to enjoy The Ocean Race experience, which included activations around the event’s award-winning Racing with Purpose sustainability programme, developed in collaboration with founding partner 11th Hour Racing.

Final attendance for Alicante will be available following the closure of Ocean Live Park on Sunday night, but Saturday’s attendance count of over 60,400 visitors was a record-breaking day in five editions of race starts in Alicante, organisers say.

While the Alicante start period featured perfect January weather with warm temperatures under sunny skies, the sailors are expecting gale force westerlies to build overnight, with a heavy sea state making the passage to Gibraltar and the trade winds in the Atlantic a treacherous one.

The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint was the first race to get underway in Alicante on Sunday and for the start at 2.05pm CET, the breeze was both light and from a different direction than had been originally anticipated making the first stage an upwind leg rather than a reach.

Of the six boats, it was WindWhisper Racing Team (POL), skippered by Pablo Arrarte, that made the best of the opening minutes. Starting at the outer end of the line proved to be a winning move ahead of a drop in the wind speed but more importantly a shift in the wind direction.

From there and for the next hour, the Polish team read the shifting conditions perfectly to lead the fleet around the entire rectangular course.

Behind them, Team Jajao (NED) — skippered by Jelmer van Beek — also delivered a confident start to their race, while Rokas Milevičius’ Ambersail 2 (LUI) sat in third.

By the time the five-leg lap of the bay had been completed the breeze had settled down, as had the leaderboard — for now.

With a forecast for complex, changeable conditions along with the threat of some big winds and steep seas to match, no one was taking anything for granted.

VO65 Rankings at Mark 5:

1. WindWhisper Racing Team (POL)
2. Team JAJO (NED)
3. Ambersail 2 (LUI)
4. Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team (POR)
5. Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova (AUT/ITA)
6. Viva México (MEX)

With the weak weather front having passed through the race area earlier in the afternoon, the wind conditions settled at WNW 12-14 knots for the start of the five IMOCAs.

Nevertheless, as the race got under way two hours after the start of the VO65s, it was clear from the aerial view that there were still some shifts and puffs to be had.

On the water and as the start gun went, it was Paul Meilhat’s brand new Biotherm (FRA) that was to set the pace, on time, at speed and on the foils. It was an impressive display, not least because last week was the first time that this crew had sailed together aboard a boat that has only recently been launched.

After a few unstable moments on the fast reach to the first mark, when the boat leaped into the air, it was clear that while the French team were fast they were not yet properly trimmed.

11th Hour Racing takes to the air at the Alicante start | Credit: Carlo Borlenghi/The Ocean Race

Behind them, hot on their heels, Kevin Escoffier’s Team Holcim-PRB (SUI) was also leaping into the air from time to time as both boats set a blistering pace.

The second leg of the inshore lap saw the fleet sail downwind. With the boats now under less load, teams were able to re-trim and re-set before the next fast leg. Seconds after Biotherm had rounded Mark 3 it was clear that they had made some essential trim changes.

This time the boat was faster and better trimmed as Biotherm accelerated away on the third leg and extended their advantage over the rest of the fleet.

Meanwhile, after a disappointing start, 11th Hour Racing Team (USA) skippered by Charlie Enright hauled themselves back from last to third. Experience was showing already from a team that many have considered as the favourites.

Spectators cheer for the VO65 skippers’ parade before the start of Leg 1 | Credit: Carlo Borlenghi/The Ocean Race

As 11th Hour Racing Team made their charge towards the front of the fleet, Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia (GER) had slipped out to the back but were able to pass GUYOT environnement – Team Europe (FRA/GER), skippered by Benjamin Dutreux after the French/German team had a problem with their code zero sail which forced them to press pause as they sorted the issue.

As the leaders passed through the final gate, Biotherm was hitting 29 knots in the flat water. Their advantage had already stretched out to 500m over second placed Holcim-PRB. After just 40 minutes of sailing it was an impressive performance.

Before the start, skipper Meilhat had explained how comfortable he and his crew would be with sailing the boat in a manual mode if required. Now, having performed a blistering lap of the inshore course with the tiller in his hand and sailing outside for the entire period, this was a good example of what he had meant.

Others had explained the importance of taking things carefully. But if the inshore lap had revealed anything, boat speeds regularly exceeding 30-knots as the fleet moved away from the shore and into the stronger breeze illustrated what the new world of fully crewed IMOCA racing means along with a demonstration of the relentless pace that is in store for this 3,500 kilometre leg to Cabo Verde.

IMOCA Rankings at Mark 4:

1. Biotherm Racing (FRA)
2. Team Holcim - PRB (SUI)
3. 11th Hour Racing Team (USA)
4. Team Malizia (GER)
5. GUYOT environnement – Team Europe (FRA/GER)

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