The Ocean Race: A comeback, a feature film and excitement in the Southern Ocean

Team Malizia moves up Team Holcim - PRB closer to the stern again. Boris Herrmann and his crew had come within seven nautical miles of Kevin Escoffier's previous Ocean Race dominators the day before, when they initially fell back a little. Now the next wave of attack is underway. The pursuing teams Biotherm and 11th Hour Racing have also been able to make up ground. The scenario is exciting, as Kevin Escoffier reported at a press conference at See on day 18 of the queen stage.

Kevin Escoffier on the 24-hour record: "We were in the right position"

Escoffier said: "We have a small light wind zone to pass tonight and then we will probably reach the ice edge. We expect manageable and good conditions for about the next three days. For the time after that, the American and European models are not in agreement."

Escoffier also used the refreshing conversation on Thursday afternoon to look back on the 24-hour record of 595.3 nautical miles set by his team in the Ocean Race: "We were positioned correctly, further south than the others, had a good wind angle, moderate swell, worked intensively with the sails and foils and were in front of the cold front."

"We haven't pushed the boat to the limit yet"

At the same time, Escoffier said that even more would have been possible. "We haven't pushed the boat to the limit yet. If this hadn't been the longest leg of the Ocean Race, but a shorter race, we would have pushed even harder. But as it is, it's all about high average speeds, but also the safety of the boat."

Escoffier believes one to two knots faster average speeds will soon be achievable, saying: "There is so much room for improvement in sailing the Imocas with crews. The "Holcim - PRB" skipper also agrees with Vendée Globe runner-up Charlie Dalin. Dalin believes it is possible that the Imocas could also break the 24-hour monohull record for monohulls of all sizes, i.e. beat the current record of 618 nautical miles set by the 100-foot maxi "Comanche". "I totally agree with Charlie," said Kevin Escoffier, "it's absolutely possible to break the 24-hour record across all categories."

One destination harbour, two courses: The Ocean Race fleet heads east, Team Guyot heads west

While the active Ocean Race quartet is heading east on course for Cape Horn, Guyot Environnement - Team Europe is heading west. The transfer crew of the Franco-German team left Cape Town on 16 March and is heading for the next port of call, Itajaí in Brazil, with a repaired hull across the Atlantic. Phillip Kasüske from Berlin, navigator Seb Simon, on-board reporter Charles Drapeau and members of the technical team are also on board. Both skipper Benjamin Dutreux and co-skipper Robert Stanjek are using the approximately two-week transfer for a period of rest and a holiday at home.

"Our team did a great job," said Benjamin Dutreux, "we had to carry out the repair work in a week, which normally takes a month. That was an extraordinary technical and human achievement. Normally, the containers would have already been on their way to Newport. We managed that. We managed the communication. Of course, it was a very frustrating moment for the whole team when we had to give up. But the decision was the right one. Then everyone just wanted to help. You can see what can be achieved with mental strength."

Team Guyot once again relies on the top crew

At the end of the second week of April, Team Guyot will reconvene in Itajaí in time for the start of the fourth leg on 23 April to prepare for the return to the Ocean Race. The team has changed its original crew plan slightly for leg four.

Stanjek explained: "We have spoken to all seven sailors in the team. We originally had a kind of blue print of the constellations in which we wanted to sail all the legs of the Ocean Race. Now we just had a very good feeling on leg three (editors: on board were Ben Dutreux, Seb Simon, Robert Stanjek and Annie Lush). We thought we had good communication and sailed the boat quickly. That's why we want to give this combination another chance."

Robert Stanjek: "We are probably even more motivated than before"

What can Team Guyot still achieve after scoring zero points twice and only two points from the first two stages? After all, there are still more points up for grabs in the remaining four stages, one of which will be counted twice, than will be distributed after the queen stage. "Theoretically, everything is still possible," says Stanjek and then quickly corrects himself with a smile, because the thought of a victory seems too unrealistic: "Well, that won't happen ... "

"But we still have five finish lines ahead of us and haven't given up hope that we can still finish third or fourth. We will give it our all. Our goal and our mindset have not changed. We are very motivated. Probably even more than before."

Boris Herrmann's Vendée Globe adventure comes to the cinema

While the Ocean Race moves its fans in a sporting sense, Boris Herrmann fans were delighted on Thursday to receive exciting news from the cinema. His Vendée Globe adventure, the first participation of a German sailor in a solo race around the world, is to be made into a film. German actor and producer Ben Blaskovic was so fascinated by the extreme sailor's adventures that he devoured Herrmann's book "Allein zwischen Himmel und Meer" within three days. He knew immediately that he wanted to make this story into a film and bring it to the big screen. Now his dream is also being realised.

Ben Blaskovic explains: "As I have been a passionate sailor myself since I was a child, I am particularly pleased to be filming Boris Herrmann's heroic journey on the Vendée Globe as a fictional feature film. Andreas Wolfers has created a wonderful basis for this, which the outstanding scriptwriter Gernot Griksch has turned into an exciting screenplay. The result is a film that makes Boris' outer and, above all, inner journey tangible for non-sailors and will give viewers a lasting, positive and strong message to take away with them - amidst all the negative 'noise' in the world."

Boris Herrmann: "I'm excited to experience my first Vendée Globe race as a feature film"

Boris Herrmann said: "I'm really looking forward to this project! I'm more used to documentaries about our team, but I'm very excited to experience my first Vendée Globe race as a feature film. Ben and I finally met in person in Cape Town. It was perfect to experience the emotions as this leg takes us through the Southern Oceans like the Vendée Globe. During the stopover, Ben even took part in the in-port race on our 'Malizia - Seaexplorer' and was able to experience what it's like to sail against the best Imoca skippers."

Click here for the podcast series "End of Watch", in which Boris Herrmann and Rosalin Kuiper share their thoughts on events at sea in an entertaining and informative way every day.

Must-see!!! The crew themselves are also celebrating these drone images. Take a look at the wow clip that Antoine Auriol produced for Team Malizia:

The latest stage report from the headquarters in Alicante can be found here for all those who like to keep track of what's happening:

And here you can find the live tracker and the interim results.