The Ocean Race: Quartet in lurking position, "restart" in the Southern Ocean
Tatjana Pokorny
· 19.03.2023
A fresh shave, a little sunbathing on deck and a largely calm ride on the Imocas: the Ocean Race in the "Furious Fifties" of the Southern Ocean is rarely as smooth as it is at the end of the third week on the queen leg of the Ocean Race. "The conditions are not normal for the area we are currently in," says 11th Hour Racing's skipper Charlie Enright.
One week to Cape Horn
On the 21st day at sea, the crews take a deep breath in the cold south of the world. As a quartet in lurking position, the crews are sailing partially within sight of each other. Only six nautical miles separated the entire fleet on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. German time. The mammoth stage of the Ocean Race is experiencing a real restart around two weeks before its finale in Itajaí, Brazil.
The lighter conditions that have led to the compression of the fleet leave the teams room for urgently needed maintenance and repair work. This applies to boats and people alike. The sailors are catching up on sleep and finding time for a few personal care sessions. A fresher wind is expected at the start of the week. The Cape Horn Passage is expected between 26 and 27 March.
"The high pressure area has meant that we've all moved together," says Will Harris, "we're kind of restarting the race, which is good and bad. We can fight for the lead, but at the same time we've lost our advantage over the chasers." Boris Herrmann's Malizia team took the lead of the classification for a few hours on Friday evening. Now, however, all four teams have a good chance of successfully starting the fourth week of the Ocean Race King's Stage.
Before getting down to business again, Boris Herrmann and Rosalin Kuiper sent out their latest podcast "Nicknames" (Nicknames) from the sea. The relaxed atmosphere on board is particularly evident. The skipper and the Dutchwoman provide insights into their sailing world in the Southern Ocean, reporting with a lot of fun about how on-board reporter Antoine Auriol sent his drone to the competition on "Bio Boutique" and Paul Meilhat's team reacted to the short film shoot with fun on deck. Boris Herrmann tells us cheerfully: "It's such a contrast to our lives so far. We're sitting on deck. It's very cold, but we're sitting outside in the sun. It's incredible!"
Radio fun in the Southern Ocean: "Hello organic boutique, this is the Malizia party bus"
Herrmann and Kuiper reveal that they call Team Holcim - PRB's team and skipper Kevin Escoffier "The Concrete Builders" (Herrmann) and "Popeye the Sailor" (Kuiper) after their sponsor. There is even time for a short radio joke: "Bio-Boutique, this is the Malizia party bus, what are you having for lunch today? And how is the mood on board on a scale of one to ten?"
"Biotherm" sailor Sam Davies radios back: "I'm just making lunch. We're having green curry with chicken today. I've just woken up after a really good night's sleep. My mood today is a nine. Only a nine because I haven't washed my hair yet. As soon as I do, it'll be a ten." Davies then reveals that she is allowed to use some of the fresh water on board to wash her hair that day.
The fleet is expected to reach Point Nemo on 21 March: the furthest point from any human civilisation. "You can't be further away from anything else on the planet than this place," says Boris Herrmann. The most remote place in the world is located between Chile and New Zealand, just under 2,700 kilometres from Ducie Island, Moto Nui as part of Easter Island and Maher Island in Antarctica.
The end of the light wind phase, which Boris Herrmann describes as a "very welcome break", is already in sight. "This weekend is still quiet. After that we will step on the gas," announced Rosalin Kuiper. At the start of the fourth week, it will be back to business in the race for the second points packages on this double-rated stage.
This clip shows just how tight things are at sea. "Flight captain" Antoine Auriol unleashed his drone again on Saturday. Within the team, he is known as "The Titanic":
The Southern Ocean with a difference: sunny instead of grey, gentle instead of rough. The crews enjoy these days and show it:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
