Ocean Race Atlantic: A spectacular start for “Malizia 4”, opening victory in the Supersprint

Determined, fast and victorious right from the start: Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia got off to a flying start in The Ocean Race Atlantic. The new “Malizia 4” shot off as if on rails. The skipper helmed his new speedster himself. However, one shouldn’t have been misled by the positions shown on the tracker during the opening phase.

The Ocean Race Atlantic: heading south

Because the fleet moved rapidly southwards after the start – and thus away from the theoretical ideal line – Team Malizia and the Japanese DMG Mori Sailing Team were initially in fifth and sixth place. In fact, they were both “Malizia 4” and the “DMG Mori Global One” that followed it the fastest way to get there.

However, their course, like that of their pursuers, was heading south. Only faster. And so, for the time being, they were also straying further from the ideal route to the port of destination. As a result, the tracker placed them lower down the rankings, even though they were actually leading the field. In the southern North Atlantic, the teams intend to position it for the deep-sea voyage that is to catapult it across the Atlantic to Lorient.

Click here for live tracking of the Ocean Race Atlantic.

Just one hour after the start of the race, the six challengers in the Ocean Race Atlantic faced the first of the daily “Supersprints”. The aim is for each team – regardless of its current position – to cover the greatest distance within the 20-minute time limit set for all teams. “Malizia 4” won this first showdown in commanding fashion. Second and third places were secured by “DMG Mori Global One” and the Swiss team “Embrace the Challenge”.

“Malizia 4” impresses the competition at the start of the Ocean Race Atlantic

Boris Herrmann, Cole Brauer, Justine Mettraux and Julien Villion have thus secured the first six points in the sprint classification for this Transat. The organisers intend to provide the exact distances at a later date. It was “11th Hour Racing” skipper Francesca Clapcich, aboard the former “Malizia 3”, who was the first to pay tribute to Team Malizia during the early stages of the Ocean Race Atlantic.

"We’ve been trying to be fast right from the start. But you can see that ‘Malizia’ is travelling at a completely different speed to everyone else." Frankie Clapcich

The lightning-fast start to the Ocean Race Atlantic followed two previous postponements, until the race organisers sent the half-dozen IMOCA crews on their way at 4 pm. Light winds on the way to the starting area had slowed the fleet down more than expected. On the southern course, “Malizia 4” continued to surge ahead even after the first super sprint, and on Wednesday evening its bow was still well ahead of the chasing pack.

“DMG Mori Global One” and the others are hot on the heels of “Malizia 4”

After three and a half hours, the four closest pursuers – “DMG Mori Global One”, “Embrace the Challenge”, “United by the Ocean” and “11th Hour Racing” – were trailing “Malizia 4” by between just under seven and around nine nautical miles. Conrad Colman’s dark horse, “MSIG Europe” – which the tracker was still showing as the supposed leader at that point – had already fallen more than 25 nautical miles behind the racing frontrunner.

Everyone put their foot down, reaching maximum speeds of between 13 and 16 knots. Sara Stone from Team United by the Ocean, skippered by Paul Meilhat, said: “These first few hours after the start, whilst the boats are still closer together, will be very important. The small gains made now could make a big difference in the coming days.”

Click here to watch the replay of the live broadcast of the start of the Ocean Race Atlantic premiere: