Rumours had been doing the rounds in the Aarhus leg harbour for days. And Kevin Escoffier, the favoured skipper who had dominated The Ocean Race so far, did indeed appear slightly weakened, not as focused and determined as recently.
This evening he announced that he would no longer fulfil his role until the end of the Ocean Race.
"I have decided to step down from my duties as skipper of Team Holcim - PRB until the end of this edition of The Ocean Race," he wrote in a short, concise statement.
In the original version, this sentence followed:
I am resigning due to an alleged incident"
Kevin Escoffier
Escoffier deleted the reference to an "alleged incident" from his Instagram post shortly afterwards - probably because it left more questions unanswered than he was able to explain.
The background to his resignation is the accusation by an employee of Team Holcim -PRB that the skipper harassed her in Newport. Several sources independently confirmed this to YACHT.
However, according to the information available to us, there is neither a formal charge nor an investigation. The presumption of innocence therefore applies to Kevin Escoffier, whose resignation has taken the growing pressure off the team and The Ocean Race management, who had not previously communicated the issue publicly.
The organisers' website only vaguely states that Escoffier's resignation was "for personal reasons".
His team did not comment on the decision either, but merely announced a new crew for the In-Port Race and the following leg to The Hague.
Still on board Abby Ehlerwho was actually only scheduled to ride as far as Aarhus. She has the most experience on the Swiss Imoca.
Next to her Benjamin Schwartz He was part of the squad on leg four until the mast broke off the Brazilian coast and will fill the vacant skipper role.
The most prominent newcomer is without question Yoann Richommecurrently one of the best and most universal offshore skippers in the world. A few weeks ago, he took over his own newly developed Imoca, "Paprec Arkea", which is highly rated by connoisseurs and competitors alike. Richomme will probably only sail on the sixth leg, the shortest. However, he is one of the jokers; Kevin Escoffier was already in contact with him before his decision. He could now play a decisive role in keeping Holcim - PRB in the lead.
The crew of four also includes Martin le Papelike Richomme and Schwartz, used to be active in the Figaro class and is therefore well qualified for the challenging sections along the Danish, German and Dutch coasts.
Here are excerpts from the Team Holcim - PRB statement:
The Holcim-PRB crew consists of experts who combine their knowledge of crewed racing and match racing. Abby Ehler, who has taken part in three legs since the start in Alicante, will contribute her knowledge of both the Ocean Race and the Imoca "Holcim - PRB".
Three sailors from the challenging Figaro regatta will share their knowledge of coastal racing, tactics and close encounters with rivals. Yoann Richomme, skipper of the Imoca "Paprec Arkéa", two-time winner of the challenging Solitaire du Figaro and reigning winner of the Route du Rhum -Destination Guadeloupe in Class 40, joins the team for this leg six. While his new monohull was launched in February, Yoann Richomme is taking the opportunity to take part in the Ocean Race for the first time.
"I am very happy to be on board "Holcim - PRB". It's the smallest leg, but an important one in terms of the team's position in the overall standings. I already had a taste of the Ocean Race when I won the first edition of the Ocean Race Europe in 2021. I have been following the circumnavigation and the performance of 'Holcim - PRB' closely. My goal on this leg is to gain even more experience," commented Yoann Richomme on his arrival in Aarhus.
Benjamin Schwartz, who took part in the fourth leg, is an all-round sailor who feels equally at home on monohulls and multihulls. As a sailor, but also as a specialist in on-board electronics, he will take on the role of skipper of Holcim - PRB on this sixth leg.
"The Holcim - PRB team has performed exceptionally well since the start of the regatta. The next leg will be very intense. It may be short, but the stakes are high. With Yoann, Abby and Martin, we will do everything we can to continue the adventure in the best possible way," explains Benjamin Schwartz.
Finally, the talented Martin Le Pape will be on board for his very first leg of the Ocean Race. A wonderful opportunity for the sailor from Concarneau, who is aiming to take part in the Vendée Globe.
