In view of the dramatic events shortly after the startWhen Team Holcim PRB and Allagrande Mapei Racing collided and both dropped out for the time being, the five remaining teams in the race almost lost sight of what was happening - wrongly.
The five teams have had an exhausting night and have just survived a very intense phase with wind from the front. The expected intense race is in full swing for them. Right from the start, Biotherm and Paprec Arkéa managed to pull away slightly. Biotherm secured the first success and led the IMOCA fleet to the Kiel lighthouse scoring gate, taking the first two points of the race. Paprec Arkéa followed close behind and secured one point.
The night awaited the teams with wind farms, currents, slipstreams and the passage under the Great Belt Bridge.
As the sun rose, the boats reached the northern tip of Denmark and thus a phase with many tacks, as the wind had shifted to the left. Sam Goodchild from the leading Biotherm explains in the video: "We're keeping to the coast and waiting for the moment when it's worth breaking out to the west. It's been a very intense night with little sleep and we're hoping to get some rest when we break out to the west." You can follow the course of the race here Race tracker track.
Sam Goodchild tells
Meanwhile, there is still little confirmed news about the damaged yachts in Kiel; we will report on their status during the course of the day. In any case, the entire race is on hold for both teams. The next start in Portsmouth is already scheduled for next Sunday, 17 August.
