"It's a lot of fun sailing so close together with two or three competitors. Wins and losses. It's like a long inshore race with a good spinnaker wind. We're jibing in a narrow corridor along the north coast of Mallorca," Boris Herrmann reported from the sea in the middle of the night. On Thursday morning, not much had changed in the three-way race. Click here for the live tracker.
Ocean Race Europe: tricky final spurt ahead
In third to fifth place, Allagrande Mapei Racing, Team Malizia and Team Paprec Arkéa are still struggling to catch up with the "Holcim-PRB" with skipper Rosalin Kuiper, which is sailing around ten nautical miles ahead, with marginal gains or losses. Her team, on the other hand, was only around seven nautical miles behind the "Biotherm", which once again had a slight lead and was speeding towards the next port of call, Nice, at almost 25 knots on Thursday morning.
After passing Ibiza and then Mallorca, the fleet is now heading for a waypoint off Porquerolles known as "Waypoint Charlie". The wind is expected to become increasingly strong, with unsettled conditions that could allow the chasing pack to catch up again. With the finish in Nice just one day away, everything is still wide open.
Since leaving Cartagena on Tuesday, the Imoca crews have been sailing past sun-drenched holiday destinations - the Costa Blanca, Ibiza, Mallorca - but life on board is anything but relaxed. "We don't really have much time for an aperitif or a barbecue on the aft deck," joked Nicolas Lunven from Holcim-PRB. "Since the beginning, every time we try to sleep, we are woken up after fifteen minutes for manoeuvres."
Hot final phase, manoeuvre after manoeuvre
"Malizia - Seaexplorers" leg navigator Loïs Berrehar agrees: "There were so many sail changes, course corrections, tacks and gybes - we've been really busy over the last 24 hours." Ambrogio Beccaria also confirmed: "We're stringing manoeuvres together and are starting to feel pretty exhausted." The weather conditions in the Mediterranean, which Beccaria described as "very hot and exhausting", are also contributing to this. He said: "We drink four to five litres of water a day, which is not exactly pleasant!"
The fact that the Nice course is so close brings both challenge and competition fever to the crews. Loïs Berrehar described the scenario: "We've been sailing within sight of each other for a long time, it's really intense. It puts us under pressure, but it's fun - a real small space race." Beccaria agreed: "We are happy that we were able to catch Paprec Arkéa and Team Malizia. We made a good move that brought us back together. Hopefully we can catch the two leaders at Porquerolles!"
The exciting final phase has begun. With less than 24 hours to go, nothing has been decided. "Everything can change very quickly here," said Beccaria. The fleet faces a long section to Porquerolles before the final sprint past the Giraglia, off the north-eastern tip of Corsica, and on to Nice.
New conditions, new luck?
"The conditions are changing today," announced Nico Lunven. "The wind will increase significantly, it will be 25 to 30 knots against the wind." Beccaria sees it the same way: "It will be windy, the calm will give way to a strong breeze. But the Mediterranean can always surprise us. It could become calm again near Porquerolles - or not. The low-pressure area behind which we are sailing influences both the direction and the strength of the wind. Everything can change very quickly here!"
Loïs Berrehar was convinced that the chasing trio could also attack at the very front. The chasers remain optimistic with a view to the "Biotherm" and "Holcim-PRB" sailing ahead. "There will probably be a reorganisation, with options that can be used and opportunities that can be seized," said Berrehar. Lunven agreed: "The weather is very treacherous, complicated and changeable right up to the finish line. We have to stay focussed and avoid mistakes. The stage is far from over."
