Team Malizia's stage skipper Will Harris can hardly rest in the opening phase of Ocean Race stage four. "It was really tough, especially the first few nights," says the Brit about the Brazilian "game of chess" that is currently challenging all crews. Harris says: "The wind was very changeable, very gusty, not stable at all. It was shifting all over the place. We hardly got any sleep, especially on the first few nights."
We are fighting and the speed is good." (Will Harris)
While all the crews were getting used to life at sea again after the long break in Brazil, Team Malizia had to put up with an accident on the very first night. "We had to deal with Nico's injury, which wasn't so nice. He's been trying to recover a bit over the last few days, but he's not back to 100 per cent yet," says Will Harris.
The youngest skipper in the Ocean Race fleet at the age of 29 continued: "We had a lot of manoeuvres recently. We made a small mistake that cost us almost 50 miles. That was painful. Now we've made up for it. That's good. It shows that we are really fighting and that our speed is good. We are very happy about that!"
"We have to be constantly on the lookout"
"Stacking", says Harris, is required almost non-stop in view of the many manoeuvres. He explains: "At every turn, you hope to be right. If not, you have to go back. It's very exhausting. You have to stack a lot. Moving all the weight from one side to the other takes 15 to 20 minutes each time and takes a lot of energy." The many oil rigs and shipping traffic turn the area into an obstacle course. "Unlike in the Southern Ocean, where there was absolutely nothing, we have to keep a constant lookout here. An unfortunate encounter with a fishing boat can end badly here," says Harris.
The stage is likely to continue in this way for a few more days. The fleet has moved closer together again on day four. "We're trying to catch up with the front runners now so that we don't have any problems later," says Will Harris, explaining Team Malizia's latest race to catch up.
Around 4,600 nautical miles to the finish
By late Wednesday afternoon, Team Holcim was still in the lead. PRB was only one nautical mile ahead of the US team 11th Hour Racing, but Team Malizia had moved up to third place again. The crew on the German Imoca had recently reduced the gap to the leader to eight nautical miles. "Any team can still win this leg," said Harris, "it has only just begun and we still have a long way to go."
Refreshing! Team Malizia's new recruit Christopher Pratt has described his first ocean race sailing day on "Malizia - Seaexplorer":
As I write this, Team Malizia is in the top three of the race along the coast of Brazil. With Will, Rosalin and Nicolas, we crossed the start line on Sunday at 13:15 (18:15 German time). Antoine Auriol is our on-board reporter. After two laps of the harbour, we set course for Newport in the United States. We have 5,500 nautical miles ahead of us.
I lie down in my bunk and - as is so often the case at the start of a race - I can't sleep. The excitement before the start is still very present. My body and mind are seething. I think back to the day before the start in Itajaí. What a cocktail of XXL emotions! I've been racing offshore for more than twenty years, and yet the intensity of my feelings never wanes: this tug-of-war between the urge to cast off and the pressure to leave my team, my family and my friends; I'm caught between the desire to fight and the fear of the unknown; between the ultra-connected life on land and the immersion in the natural elements.
The start was a memorable moment." (Christopher Pratt)
I'm lucky enough to be one of the few people allowed to take part in this mythical race: the Ocean Race, the round-the-world race with teams over several legs. A childhood dream come true! The start was a memorable moment: an Anglo-Saxon style sporting event, perfectly organised and staged; perhaps very"marketed"but I have to admit that it works very well.
That's another reason why I wanted to be at the start: the show, the pictures, the emotions. An incredible atmosphere! When it's time to cast off, I'm over the moon! It's time for the final farewells, the last dance to our anthem"Don't stop me now" by Queen. The choice of this song is perhaps no coincidence. According to one of the most reputable scientific studies, it's the song that makes you the happiest! Here we go, the crowd cheers the boats! I remain humble in the face of what lies ahead.
Sad on departure, happy at sea
In addition to the race itself, I mainly agreed to join a team. When Boris invited me to represent him on this stage, I immediately agreed. I was impressed by the commitment, the content and the good atmosphere of the team. And I was not disappointed! After less than ten days in the team, I can tell you that the reality corresponds to what you see from the outside. At the time of departure, I was sad to leave this multilingual and lively family on land.
It's my first night watch on this leg. After a slow start, the wind and sea pick up over the hours. Our first sail change to the"VO65 version" (Editor's note: The term is based on earlier Ocean Race models of the VO65 type and refers to a dedicated manoeuvre) we do with Rosie at the helm. Sporty! The rest of the night is rather chaotic with an unstable, medium wind. After meeting up with our mates in the middle of the night, we now head east, almost ...
I'm back in my element." (Christopher Pratt)
I've been shivering in my bunk for a few hours now and still can't sleep ..."Chris ... Chris"Rosie wakes me up ... Already! I'm alone in the cockpit, a podcast in my ears, a sheet in one hand, the other on the autopilot. It's okay, I'm back in my element.
Turn after turn after turn: Team Malizia flexes its muscles here:
Team Holcim-PRB and 11th Hour Racing in the top duel, Team Malizia as the hunter:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
