The Ocean Race: "Guyot's" first victory - furious, fast and "beautiful, so beautiful"

Charlie Enright summed it up well after the harbour race in The Hague: "That was an in-port version of the stage we just finished - at full throttle! It was really intense and windy. All the boats were fighting for their positions. The start was in 20 knots of wind. We then had 25 knots at marks 1 and 2."

The French-German Team Guyot made the most of the fresh summer winds. The crew led by skipper Benjamin Dutreux crossed the start line with great timing and top speed on the foils and were able to overtake Team Holcim - PRB and then overtook the 11th Hour Racing Team. The Imocas flexed their muscles and raced round the course, battling for positions that were well worth seeing. At marker one, the "Guyot" crew defended their lead from the Americans by a narrow but successful margin.

Team Holcim - PRB weakens in the harbour race

Team Malizia followed closely behind. With an early turnaround, Boris Herrmann, Will Harris, Nico Lunven and Rosie Kuiper overtook 11th Hour Racing Team as the celebrated darling of the Dutch fans. At the same time, Team Guyot extended its lead on lap one of the harbour race. Shortly before the start of the second lap, 11th Hour Racing regained second place from Team Malizia. "We left a small gap and they squeezed in," said Boris Herrmann later.

At the back of the fleet, Paul Meilhat's Team Biotherm and Team Holcim - PRB fought an active duel in which the Swiss, who are still fighting for overall victory in this Ocean Race but have surprisingly rarely been able to shine in the harbour races, were ultimately defeated.

Team Malizia withstands the attacks of Team Biotherm

In the second lap, which was slightly longer due to the strong wind, Team Biotherm began to attack the crew on "Malizia - Seaexplorer". The French put the Herrmann quartet under pressure, but the Malizians held firm and defended their third place. Ben Dutreux, Sébastien Simon, Phillip Kasüske and Annie Lush crossed the finish line in first place after a flawless gala in difficult conditions. It may have "only" been a harbour race, but for Team Guyot this first victory meant much more.

"It's beautiful, so beautiful," Benjamin Dutreux exclaimed after the success, which delighted the entire Ocean Race family and many fans. It is the reward for the stand-up crew of this 14th Ocean Race edition in the 50th anniversary year of the race. Ben Dutreux continued: "That was great team spirit. Today was all about pushing hard and staying focussed. I'm happy to have this win for the whole team."

It's good to know that we can still be faster than them ..." (Annie Lush)

"We sailed very calmly and very cleanly," summarised "Guyot" sailor Annie Lush. "It's really nice to get a win. We know that the others are working hard as these results are really important for some of the teams. So it's good to know that we can still be faster than them."

It was a harbour race with a high sailing and fan enjoyment factor. "It was really fun," said "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper Boris Herrmann. Co-skipper Will Harris agreed: "That was definitely one of the most fun in-port races I've sailed so far. It was so intense and so close. It was a really good battle between all the boats. These boats are just so much fun. And we are so happy that 'Guyot' won the race. What a comeback after all the problems they've been through! I could see the smiles on their faces after coming through such a tough race. It really is a wonderful moment."

Why the results in the harbour races can be of decisive importance

In the event of a points tie at the end of the seven legs of the Ocean Race, 11th Hour Racing has put itself in a comfortable position in the harbour race standings with second place in The Hague and as the commanding leader after six of seven in-port races.

Charlie Enright and his crew extended their lead with a total of 24 points. They are followed in the In-Port Races classification by Team Malizia with 21 points, ahead of Team Biotherm (16 points), Team Holcim - PRB (15 points) and Team Guyot, which has scored ten points so far despite missing two harbour races. Although the performances in the in-port races are not directly included in the overall Ocean Race standings, they act as a tie-breaker if two or more teams are tied on points after seven legs.

How Team Malizia could still take second place in the Ocean Race ...

For example, if Team Malizia succeeds in winning the seventh and final leg to Genoa, Boris Herrmann and his crew would score 32 points in the final Ocean Race standings. At the same time, if Team Holcim - PRB only came fifth, the Swiss team would also have 32 points in the final ranking. In this case, "Malizia - Seaexploer" would have the lead in the final Ocean Race standings because "Holcim - PRB" would no longer be able to catch up with the German boat in the harbour race rankings.

Worth seeing! The highlights of the harbour race in The Hague with speeding Imocas:

Click here for the harbour race ranking.

Click here for the Ocean Race standings ahead of the seventh and final leg to Genoa.