Second place on leg two of the Ocean Race Europe: Podium finish for Offshore Team Germany

The end of the second leg of the new Ocean Race Europe was dull and nerve-wracking. Redemption came for the sailors in the harbour of Alicante. Although there was no live commentary of the final sprint this time either, there were at least live pictures. And they showed just how hard the crews had to labour in the dull Mediterranean winds towards the finish line. Offshore Team Germany managed to cross the finish line in second place. Thomas Ruyant's "LinkedOut", which got away shortly after the start, was unable to catch up despite a good chase, finishing almost 20 minutes ahead of the "Einstein". At the same time, its skipper Robert Stanjek and his crew managed to keep the pursuers, who came on strong in the final sprint, at bay until the end.

As the surprise team in the Imoca fleet, Charlie Enright's team 11th Hour Racing finished third, almost seven minutes behind the German non-foiler. The Enright crew, sailing under the US flag, had caused a collision with an anchored motorboat shortly after the start of the second leg. The 11th Hour Racing Team had to return to the starting harbour of Cascais for checks and was only able to resume the race hours later, some 80 nautical miles behind. 11th Hour Racing then came within one nautical mile of the "Einstein". However, the team flying the German flag was able to defend its silver position with concentrated positioning right to the finish. Fourth and fifth place went to the French foilers "Bureau Vallée" and "Corum L'Épargne".

After two of the three legs of the Ocean Race Europe, three teams are bow to bow in the overall standings of the Imoca fleet with nine points each: "LinkedOut" ahead of Offshore Team Germany (OTG) and 11th Hour Racing. The pursuers "Corum L'Épargne" and "Bureau Vallée" will start the third and final leg to Genoa four points behind the top three. "Einstein" sailor Phillip Kasüske reported in the stage harbour of Alicante: "It was a really eventful few hours. We had a good start with a fast downwind ride. It was tricky between Portugal and Spain. We had a strong headwind in the Strait of Gibraltar and had to dodge the constant shipping traffic. Unfortunately, we also collided with what we thought was a very large shark. This knocked our starboard centreboard backwards and caused slight damage to the guide." The damage is to be examined more closely in Alicante.

The damage did not stop there. There were further losses in the stormy conditions of Gibraltar. "We lost our wind electronics, so we no longer have any wind data available," reported Robert Stanjek after the challenging ride through the sea. "The only thing we could still access was our boat speed. We had to steer ourselves throughout, as we could no longer use the autopilot. That was really hard, especially at night, when you could only rely on the boat speed data." The OTG also had to cope with two poorly set tacks that led the crew into the doldrums. As a result, the team lost its temporary leading position and slipped back to fifth place. Although the competition had built up a small lead in the meantime, the crew of Stanjek, Kasüske, Annie Lush and Benjamin Dutreux did not give up, fought their way back and were able to fight for the final podium place on the third night.

Even before the Imocas, all seven VO65 yachts had reached the Alicante stage finish. Here, the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team beat AkzoNobel Ocean Racing and Sailing Poland. Just over four minutes separated the fourth-placed "Viva Méxiko" from Team Childhood I in fifth place. The Austrian Ocean Race Project finished sixth ahead of "AmberSail-2". In the VO65 overall standings, the same teams that finished leg two in the same order are in the top three places. Click here for all results and the intermediate results in the Ocean Race Europe (please click!).

After winning the opening leg, the Austrian Ocean Race Project slipped back to fourth place in the interim standings after two of three legs, but is only two points behind the Mirpuri leaders. Eike Schurr, Bremen-based on-board reporter in the Austrian team, gave a positive assessment after his first Ocean Race: "That was a good experience! We were the only team travelling without an A4 gennaker. In the Strait of Gibraltar it was quite bumpy with 30 knots on the nose. I was glad that I had my equipment completely waterproof with me. I only spent three hours in a bunk once. With 14 people including guests on board, we had air mattresses with us for other short naps."