The Ocean Race: "A shock for all of us" - Malizia in solidarity with Holcim - PRB
Tatjana Pokorny
· 27.04.2023
Shortly after the mast breakage at Team Holcim - PRB has been hit by a wave of willingness to help in the Ocean Race. Boris Herrmann contacted skipper Kevin Escoffier in the morning. "I told him that we are offering our full support and that he should keep his head up." Boris Herrmann, who is taking a break from the current fourth leg from Iatají to Newport in North America and is in Hamburg, continued: "It's a big shock for all of us that Kevin has lost his mast."
Mast break high in the wind
Although he did not want to speculate much about the course of the accident without any facts, he was able to gather some circumstances from the team's own database: "We assume that it was high upwind. With J2 and full mainsail. At around 17 knots, which I can see on our website. You can also see the wind data directly in the live area. Pretty bad swell, they reported from on board. That means the boat is beating upwind, maybe even starting to foil. Or maybe not. Malizia is only travelling at eleven to twelve knots on the tracker. That means it's beating upwind. They're not foiling at the moment. So rough conditions on the wind. But nothing extremely strong either."
From the outside, Herrmann says that these are not normally conditions in which a mast comes down due to human error: "Rather due to surprising material failure. With one of the forestays, for example, you could imagine. That would be my guess. I hope there was no collision. Of course, that would also lead to the mast breaking."
This is a devastating situation for one of the best teams in the race." (Boris Herrmann)
The consequences are harsh: "This is definitely a devastating situation for one of the best teams in the race." Just a few hours after the mast breakage, Team Holcim - PRB has not yet announced how and where the transport of a replacement mast and the comeback in the Ocean Race could work. There are various options. Boris Herrmann says: "There are several possibilities. The yacht could be transported onwards by cargo ship. Perhaps directly to Europe. Or take a mast to Brazil by express freight. I think the team will be making their first plans during the course of the day."
Team Malizia and Boris Herrmann have already established links with their own Ocean Race partners. Boris Herrmann reports: "With Kühne + Nagel, we have a partner who is also active in the yacht transport and special project cargo sectors. So they could also do air freight cargo for a mast like this. Kuehne + Nagel can do that." According to Herrmann, it remains to be seen what is possible for the team to get back into the race quickly.
We wish Kevin and his team the best of luck." (Boris Herrmann)
Regarding the accident itself, Boris Herrmann explained: "We are a mechanical sport. And unfortunately that's just part of it. It's a one-design mast. We all have the same one. Kevin's team is one of the ones with the highest technical standard." In addition, Boris Herrmann pointed to the replacement mast of the Imoca class, which is on standby in Lorient for emergencies. His assessment: "You could probably also get the other parts together: Boom, outrigger, cables, mast cables, the stays and shrouds. The sails." These could perhaps also be bought or borrowed from other teams.
11th Hour Racing takes the lead on stage 4
Herrmann's general assessment of the situation: "That also makes me very sad. It's an incredibly difficult situation for a team. We wish Kevin and his team the best of luck. And of course we want good sport. We don't want to see our race favourite retire from the race in this way. And we just hope to see him back in the race as soon as possible and with all his strength. That's why all the teams are now helping with full solidarity. We in particular are trying to step on the gas with our shipping contacts to get the team back in the race."
Following the accident, the US team 11th Hour Racing has taken the lead in leg four, six nautical miles ahead of Team Malizia. They are followed on day five at sea by Team Biotherm, which is just under 20 nautical miles behind the American leaders, and Guyot Environnement - Team Europe, which has a good 40 nautical miles to make up.
