The Ocean Race – Top pair engaged in close quarters battle off the coast of Argentina
As the calendar ticks over to the 33rd day of competition on Leg 3 of The Ocean Race, Team Malizia and Team Holcim-PRB are as close as ever.
On the 1200 UTC tracker update, the pair were separated by less than 5 nautical miles on the leaderboard.
And it’s a tense time, with very changeable conditions.
“We’ve had crazy conditions all night,” said Will Harris from Team Malizia. “Everything from zero to 52 knots of wind from every direction. It’s been pretty tough… But we’re going good. Strong now.”
Check out what it looks like on Team Malizia
“We’ve seen quite a quick increase in breeze,” said Abby Ehler on Team Holcim-PRB. “More that we were expecting, between 48 and 50 knots of wind… The seaway is not too bad so we’re not slamming too bad, but we’re going to play it safe.”
“We haven’t been pushing too, too much,” agreed skipper Kevin Escoffier. “We had gusts of 50-55 knots, pretty heavy night. Tonight it was quite windy.”
But soon after there was the sound of sails flapping back and forth with very little wind; tough conditions for the teams.
Just over 350 miles behind, 11th Hour Racing Team has started to put some distance between itself and Biotherm, with both now nearly a full day behind the leading pair.
“We’re definitely going north as fast as we can right now,” said 11th Hour Racing Team sailor Simon Fisher. “The water temperature is creeping up slowly, so I think two more days of thermal clothing but we’re making good progress!”
Also making good progress is GUYOT environnement – Team Europe on their delivery from South Africa to Itajaí, Brazil where the team will rejoin the race for leg 4. The GUYOT team is expected to arrive in Itajaí late in the afternoon local time on Thursday.
As the fleet heads north with an ETA on Sunday, the Ocean Live Park in Itajaí opened to the public on Wednesday evening.
The latest positions are on the Race Tracker and the leaderboard is available here
The latest news is at www.theoceanrace.com
About The Ocean Race
Since 1973, The Ocean Race has provided the ultimate test of a team and a human adventure like no other. For nearly 50 years, it has kept an almost mythical hold over some of the greatest sailors and been the proving ground for the legends of our sport.
The 14th edition of The Ocean Race started from Alicante, Spain on January 15th 2023, and will finish in Genova, the Grand Finale, in Italy early in the summer of 2023. The race visits nine iconic cities around the globe over a six-month period (Alicante, Spain – Cabo Verde – Cape Town, South Africa – Itajaí, Brazil – Newport, RI, USA – Aarhus, Denmark – Kiel Fly-By, Germany – The Hague, the Netherlands – Genova, Italy) and features a leg with the longest racing distance in the 50-year history of the event – a 12,750 nautical mile, one-month marathon from Cape Town, South Africa to Itajaí, Brazil. The IMOCA fleet of mixed crews will pass all three great southern Capes – Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn – non-stop, for the first time.
Along with five confirmed foiling IMOCA teams racing around the world, six one-design VO65 boats will race on three legs with an option to compete for a new trophy within The Ocean Race called The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup.
Sustainability in The Ocean Race
We have a proven commitment to sustainability, and with the support and collaboration of 11th Hour Racing, Founding Partner of the Race Sustainability Programme and Premier Partner of The Ocean Race, we are inspiring action and creating tangible outcomes.
Building upon our award-winning legacy in sustainability, our innovative Racing With Purpose programme is acting as a catalyst for positive change and accelerating the application of innovative solutions to help restore ocean health.
