Catch up on all the action from the Ocean Race Europe Leg 1, including the shocking collision at the start, a dramatic overtake from Team Malizia, and Team Biotherm’s strong lead.
\nPhoto: Lloyd Images \/ the Ocean Race Europe.Paul Meilhat\u2018s Biotherm was the first IMOCA 60\u00a0into Portsmouth on 14 August, closing out The Ocean Race Europe Leg 1 with maximum points. They had confidently maintained the lead since race start in Kiel.
\nA last minute-switch gamble in Dover helped Team Malizia snatch second place from Paprec Ark\u00e9a, with Canada Ocean Race \u2013 Be Water Positive coming home fourth, and Team Amaala fifth.
\nTwo boats were involved in a collision at the start of The Ocean Race, suffering significant damage and returning to dock to effect repairs. Of those two, Allagrande MAPEI is now en-route to Portsmouth to join the rest of the fleet. Holcim PRB \u2013 who suffered the worst of the damage \u2013 are still working towards a fix, but hope to rejoin the race soon.
\nOcean Race Europe Leg 1 at a glance:<\/p>\n
Holcim PRB and Allagrande MAPEI Racing collide just after starting, sending both teams back to Kiel for repairs
\nBiotherm takes the lead with nimble coastal racing before heading into the North Sea
\nNarrow lanes through the English channel demand close, careful manoeuvres
\nMalizia overtakes Paprec Ark\u00e9a in Dover with a risky tactical choice
\nRace management extends the course by 60 nautical miles ahead of arrival in Portsmouth<\/p>\n
\u00a0Two collide in The Ocean Race Europe Leg 1
\nA shocking collision at the start of Leg 1 left team Allagrande MAPEI. with a torn J0 headsail and extensive other damage. Photo: Vincent Curutchet \/ the Ocean Race Europe 2025.
\nWithin moments of the starting gun, less than one mile into the race, a shocking collision between Holcim PRB and Allagrande MAPEI Racing forced both teams back to Kiel. The reduced fleet kept on for Portsmouth, two boats lighter.
\nBoth crews involved in the collision were unharmed, though their vessels sustained significant damage with Allagrande MAPEI having to replace the J0 headsail, the mainsail; starboard rigging (outrigger, D0 stay, shrouds), as well as repairing the chainplate, which required them to dismantle the ballast.
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart Disaster as Two Boats Collide and Return Home In The Ocean Race Europe Leg One<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe opening leg of The Ocean Race Europe was rocked by drama within moments of the starting gun as two\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Ocean Race Europe 2025: Everything you need to know<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSeven teams, six weeks, five legs, one unforgettable race. For its 2025 edition, the Ocean Race Europe will bring together\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Ocean Race: Was the latest edition a success?<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn the sweltering heat of midsummer in the Ligurian Sea, temperatures and tensions were steadily rising on board 11th Hour\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went through an emotional rollercoaster, moving from uncertainty to the\u00a0possibility of getting back into\u00a0the\u00a0race,\u201d says Allagrande MAPEI\u2019s skipper Ambrogio Beccaria.
\nBoth teams have filed official protests against the other. The\u00a0hearing is scheduled to take place during\u00a0the\u00a0Cartagena stopover following Leg 2.
\nRepairs are underway on Alaagrande MAPEI to allow the vessel to rejoin the race in Portsmouth. Photo: Pierre Bouras \/ Allagrande MAPEI.
\nStraight through the scoring gate
\nCrash aside, the first 24 hours of the Ocean Race Europe Leg 1 were clean and controlled, with Paul Meilhat\u2018s Team Biotherm in the lead from the outset.
\nPaprec Ark\u00e9a (2nd) was close behind through the Kiel Lighthouse Scoring Gate, followed by Canada Ocean\u00a0Racing \u2013 Be Water Positive (3rd), Malizia (4th), who had a problem with their furling drum just after the start, and Team Amaala (5th).
\nThis first stretch made for a tight, physically demanding coastal racing course and constant manoeuvres.
\n\u201cWith\u00a0the\u00a0coastline so close, heavy traffic, small buoys and\u00a0the wind being pretty unstable, we got very little rest,\u201d says Biotherm trimmer Am\u00e9lie Grassi.
\nPhoto: Gauthier Lebec \/ Team Biotherm \/ The Ocean Race Europe 2025.
\nInto the North Sea
\nAs the fleet spilled into the North sea, the predicted light air dropped into the single digits. Crews were able to catch up on much needed rest until the wind rose again in the morning, with 20 knots blowing in from the South East.
\nBiotherm quickly seized control of the fast lane towards the British coast. Together with Holcim PRB, and Allagrande MAPEI, Biotherm was one of the three boats predicted to perform the strongest in light airs. With the other two out of commission, the team easily maintained its initial lead.
\nPhoto: Gauthier Lebec \/ Team Biotherm \/ The Ocean Race Europe 2025.
\nA high pressure ridge confirmed the fleet\u2019s positions, offering those ahead of it, (Biotherm, Paprec Ark\u00e9a) smooth sailing.
\n\u201cWe enjoyed dream conditions right after [the last\u00a0ridge], with an east-southeast wind that allowed us to make rapid progress,\u201d said Biotherm\u2019s Paul Meilhat.
\nThose lagging behind the ridge paid the price.
\n\u201cWe lost much more time there than we thought we would. It felt like we were stuck, it was frustrating,\u201d says Team Malizia\u2019s Will Harris.
\nSkipper Alan Roura of Team Amaala. Photo: Coline Beal \/ Team Amaala \/ The Ocean Race 2025.
\nTeam Amaala laboured at the back, fighting the current and averaging just 3 knots of speed. Despite the increasing gap between Amaala and the rest of the fleet, Skipper Alan Roura stayed positive.
\n\u201cIf you want the truth, we\u2019re going to do like 20,000 tacks, in current with no wind,\u201d he said. \u201cAt least now we know how to tack in all conditions!\u201d
\nFinal stretch in the English Channel
\nAs the Ocean Race Europe fleet headed into the English Channel, the routed squeezed between the coast and the exclusion zones, narrowing into just 3.3 miles at its tightest.
\nWith a less-than ideal southwest wind, crews had to tack repeatedly to advance, as well as working around shipping traffic near Dover.
\n\u201cWe won\u2019t have more than half an hour without a manoeuvre until\u00a0the\u00a0end of\u00a0the\u00a0race,\u201d said Meilhat.
\nEach manoeuvre involves moving hundreds of kilos of equipment across the boat, in this case under the cover of darkness, testing not only the crews skill but their patience.
\nA sudden, rogue squall in the night forced Biotherm to drop and rehoist their sails.
\n\u201cWe went from five knots suddenly to 25 knots, then it spun around in circles,\u201d Meilhat explained. \u201cWe had to keep up with it to not damage the\u00a0boat or any sails, but we managed it.\u201d
\nOcean Race Europe Leg 1 Finish
\nOn Wednesday night, race management elected to extend the course by 60 nautical miles with a two-lap loop just off Bembridge Ledge.
\nBiotherm was undeterred and easily kept its lead until the last minute, finishing with maximum points, while Team Malizia and Paprec Akr\u00e9a ran a match race for second place.Paprec Ark\u00e9a had comfortably defended its position until a bold move from Malizia gave them a run for their money.
\nPhoto: Lloyd Images \/ the Ocean Race Europe 2025.
\nApproaching Dover, Malizia made the tactical choice to leave the mid-channel route behind and hug the coastline, risking losing the breeze to escape the\u00a0full force of\u00a0the adverse current.
\nThe gamble paid off. Within the next hour, Malizia clawed its way back to just half a mile behind Paprec.
\n\u201cThey\u2019re only doing 1.9 knots and we are doing 8.2,\u201d said Malizia\u2019s co-skipper Cole Brauer. \u201cThis is when we become the hunters.\u201d
\nPaprec Ark\u00e9a tried to fight them off with defensive tack-for-tack tactis throughout the night, until a gybe from Malizia allowed the chasing German team to definitively gain the lead.
\n\u201cIt was an amazing morning for us,\u201d said Malizia\u2019s skipper Boris Hermann. \u201cWe hoisted the\u00a0kite and saw that we could sail deeper with\u00a0the\u00a0spinnaker than they could with their sail, and that\u2019s how we ultimately overtook them.\u201d
\nSo far, Malizia has been the only boat to overtake another. The move allowed them to close an impressive 15-20 mile gap to gain second place.
\nPhoto: Georgia Schofield \/ Team Be \u2013 Water \u2013 Positive \/ The Ocean Race 2025.
\nMeanwhile, at the back of the fleet, Canada\u2019s Be Water Positive team approached Dover in thick fog with less than 30 metres visibility.
\n\u201cWe can see up to the bow and maybe half a boat length beyond, and then the sea just disappears into a grey shroud,\u201d said Pip\u00a0Hare.
\nThe team relied on AIS, radar and the OSCAR infrared system to avoid collisions with other vessels.
\nWhen is The Ocean Race Europe Leg 2?
\nPhoto: Lloyd Images \/ The Ocean Race Europe 2025.
\nThe Ocean Race Europe Leg 2 will kick off on Sunday 17 August, with the fleet heading out\u00a0of Portsmouth to face the longest stretch in the race, a 1,400 NM track to Cartagena, Spain.
\nAfter four days of intensive repairs, Allagrande MAPEI is ready to reach the rest of the fleet in Portsmouth. Holcim PRB also hopes to complete repairs in time to rejoin the race.<\/p>\n
If you enjoyed this recap of the Ocean Race Europe Leg 1\u2026.<\/p>\n
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The post Biotherm wins Ocean Race Europe Leg 1, 2 boats still racing to finish repairs before Leg 2 appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Catch up on all the action from the Ocean Race Europe Leg 1, including the shocking collision at the start, a dramatic overtake from Team Malizia, and Team Biotherm’s strong lead. Photo: Lloyd Images \/ the Ocean Race Europe.Paul Meilhat\u2018s … <\/p>\n