It was very close for the top three boats at the finish of The Ocean Race leg 2, which saw Kevin Escoffier’s Team Holcim – PRB take a second winSkipper Kevin Escoffier and his Team Holcim \u2013 PRB have won Leg 2 of The Ocean Race from Cabo Verde to Cape Town after a tense battle through the final miles of the race.
\nAt sunrise on Sunday 12 February, four teams were in the fight for the leg win, with Biotherm, 11th Hour Racing Team and the Holcim \u2013 PRB crews racing in lockstep in light and changeable conditions.
\nTeam Malizia was some 20 miles to the south, but then spent the next three hours just about sailing around the leading trio. But the light and fickle winds didn\u2019t hold for them and in the end it was a three boat race among the northern trio.<\/p>\n
Just three hours before the finish, Escoffier and his team finally popped up at the head of the rankings, having been able to sail a slightly better angle at a similar speed towards Cape Town, creating the narrow separation necessary to eke out a winning position.
\nThis is the second consecutive leg win for Escoffier and his team, who maintain a perfect record, and will extend their advantage on the race leaderboard.
\n\u201cBiotherm had a huge night last night but for us, we knew we had to find the leeward (northern position) before the Cape Town coast,\u201d Escoffier said. \u201cWe did a lot of sail changes and work to get this position. It took until about 40 miles from the finish line to get where we wanted to be and hold it to the end.\u201d
\nThis is the second consecutive leg win for Escoffier and his team, who maintain a perfect record, and extend their advantage on the race leaderboard.
\nJust 16 minutes behind came Paul Meilhat\u2018s Biotherm. This is a team that looks to be fast in the light conditions that were such a big factor in the last 36 hours of the race.
\n\u201cWe know that our boat and crew have good potential and we can race [competitively] against the others,\u201d Meilhat said. \u201cThis is a long race and I think it is going to be close like this all the way to the end.\u201d
\nLess than 10 minutes later came 11th Hour Racing Team, who had worked hard all leg to be in a strong position for the finish, but in the end slipped into third place.
\nSkipper Charlie Enright said: \u201cWe are a little disappointed with a third place after 17 days, but the bigger picture to take home is that we sailed the boat fast and well, and I think that bodes well for the future. This race is a marathon and not a sprint, and we have a big doubler pointer coming up with Leg 3 through the Southern Ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team Malizia, after pushing forward early in the day on Sunday, couldn\u2019t make their southern position stick and settled for fourth.
\n\u201cEveryone raced their hearts from the word \u2018go\u2019, but the result was down to a bit of luck,\u201d said skipper Will Harris. \u201cIn the end we tried a different option, aiming to go for glory rather than nothing at all, and in the end it didn\u2019t pay off unfortunately. The winners must have sailed a great race to get to the finish.\u201d
\nThe early leader during the leg from Cabo Verde, and through the equator crossing, Guyot Environment \u2013 Team Europe fell to the back of the pack on the descent into the south Atlantic. After trailing by over 500 miles, the team took advantage of the weather conditions to bring stronger winds back to the fleet and close the gap. But in the end it wasn\u2019t enough.
\n\u201cWe came back, drove the boat fast and fought until the end,\u201d said skipper Robert Stanjek. \u201cIn the end, we came in just a few hours after the others \u2013 after 18 days. A great stage. We are fifth. There is nothing to discuss. But the performance was great. We\u2019ll take a lot of learning with us into the next leg.\u201d
\nThe teams are in Cape Town until 26 February when the longest leg in the history of the race \u2013 12,700 nautical miles to Itajai, Brazil starts.<\/p>\n
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The post Holcim \u2013 PRB win nail biting leg 2 in The Ocean Race appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It was very close for the top three boats at the finish of The Ocean Race leg 2, which saw Kevin Escoffier’s Team Holcim – PRB take a second winSkipper Kevin Escoffier and his Team Holcim \u2013 PRB have won … <\/p>\n