A complete world tour for some, three rounds for others
The start of the 14th edition of The Ocean Race was given this Sunday, January 15, 2023 from Alicante in Spain. This 50th edition of the race brings together five IMOCA boats and six VO65 one-designs, boats from the last two editions of the race. While the former are participating in the entire crewed round-the-world race, the latter are focusing on Europe and will only participate in three races.
An In-Port regatta that put nerves to the test
Before the start, the various crews took part in an in-port regatta on Sunday, January 8. The light wind put the nerves of the competitors to the test, with four of the five IMOCA participants taking turns leading the fleet. At the end of the race, Team Malizia won ahead of 11th Hour Racing and Biotherm, collecting 5 points. As a reminder, these In-Port events are used to decide between the competitors in case of a tie in the offshore events. In the VO65 class, victory went to the Spanish WindWhisper Racing Team.
A start in light windsâ?¦ before the big weather
A week later, with summer conditions, the IMOCA boats left Alicante shortly after 4 pm French time, heading for Cape Verde, 1,900 miles away. The VO65s had crossed the start line two hours earlier. The 60-foot monohulls started in fairly steady winds of 12 to 14 knots from the north-northwest. Paul Meilhat's Biotherm opened the ball, taking off quickly on its foils, followed by Kevin Escoffier's Holcim PRB.
The second leg was downwind, and by the time they passed the last mark, Biotherm was making 29 knots, still followed by Team Holcim-PRB and 11th Hour Racing Team, which moved up from last to third place. The rest of the sailing went smoothly before reaching the front that is currently raging in the heart of the Mediterranean. The crews chose to sail along the Spanish coast to avoid the heavy weather in the Strait. At the head of the fleet, less than 1 mile separates the leader Holcim-PRB from Guyot environnement - Team Europe, skippered by Benjamin Dutreux. Biotherm, author of a good start, is in 4th place today, while the favorite of the event, 11th Hour Racing Team, skippered by Charlie Enright, is in 5th position this Monday morning.
