First victory for Offshore Team Germany in the Ocean Race Europe: "Einstein" crew surprises the foilers, Mirpuri with home win

Offshore Team Germany has won its first race in the Ocean Race Europe. Skipper Robert Stanjek and his crew were the only non-foilers in the fleet of five Imoca yachts to come out on top in the coastal race for the Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy. With the three valuable bonus points for their success on the 40 nautical mile course and now a total of five points in their account, the "Einstein" quartet moved up the rankings in the European race: Offshore Team Germany is now level on points with the French "Corum L'Épargne" in second place behind Charlie Enright's leading 11th Hour Racing Team (6 points).

In the VO65 yacht class, the sailors from the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team, together with their partners based in Portugal, were delighted with their home victory after a botched first leg. The success on the course from Cascais to Lisbon and back allowed the team led by skipper Yoann Richomme to move up to sixth place in the field of seven VO65 yachts. Mirpuri professional Jack Boutell said with relief: "It was just incredible to go out there today and show everyone what we are capable of. We wanted to put on a good show in Cascais and it's fantastic that we were able to beat Paul(Ed.: Mirpuri) can give back what he has given us as an opportunity."

For the Austrians, their world of results was turned upside down this Saturday after their sensational opening leg victory: the Austrian Ocean Race Project was the last team to reach the finish line of the coastal race, but still remains the leader in the fleet of seven VO65 yachts. "AmberSail 2" defended second place in the overall standings ahead of third-placed team AkzoNobel Ocean Racing. The Dutch team, skippered by Australian Chris Nicholson, came second in the coastal race.

Under bright blue skies and in winds of 15 to 20 knots, the crews enjoyed an almost perfect race one day before the next stage start. "Einstein" skipper Robert Stanjek said: "I think we managed it well in conditions that don't suit us. We survived and kept in touch. Then we had an outstanding downwind leg, and Ben(Ed.: Dutreux) announced the laylines really well. We got into a good rhythm and were able to catch up. I think we sailed quite smart technically on the last upwind section. It's a great feeling ahead of the start of leg two tomorrow."

The "Einstein" quartet of Robert Stanjek, Benjamin Dutreux, Annie Lush and Phillip Kasüske were already in a good position at the start. The race took the teams in the two ocean race classes Imoca and VO65 along the coast, past Cascais' famous Boca do Inferno rocky coast. Here, the four competing foiling Imocas were able to get up on their wings and pull out a small lead. However, as the angle to the first rounding mark became more acute, the "Einstein" crew took advantage of being able to sail at a better angle to the wind with the straight centreboards of their boat. The team on the white Imoca under the black, red and gold flag also utilised the advantage of better positioning options on the downwind section. With a lower course and therefore fewer gybes, they soon secured second place. Later, when Offshore Team Germany set off on the cross course back to Cascais, the Olympic veterans put their expertise to good use in the tacking duels with 11th Hour Racing, who had been in the lead for a long time. They eventually took the lead on the final section to the finish. And the "Einstein" team never relinquished this lead until the finish.

The second of three legs of the Ocean Race Europe starts on Sunday (6 June). It will take the twelve boats from nine countries from Cascais to Alicante in Spain. The starting signal will be given at 1 p.m. local time (2 p.m. German time). The forecast from "Einstein" navigator Benjamin Dutreux: "I still have to analyse it carefully, the forecasts are constantly changing. The last forecast was for very strong winds. But the wind direction could be right for us from Gibraltar onwards." The team has initially identified Wednesday morning as a possible arrival time.

"Ambersail 2" skipper Rokas Milevičius said that his team had increased the safety measures for the second leg: "I think it will be a very demanding leg - and, in terms of safety, a very difficult one. We already had injuries on the first stage. So we've taken additional measures for the second stage because it looks like we're in for a really bumpy upwind ride to Gibraltar. The Strait of Gibraltar will be the most important part of this leg."

Click here for the intermediate results of the Ocean Race Europe (please click).