The crews on the second leg of the Ocean Race breathe a sigh of relief. After days of doldrums poker in the Doldrums, all five Imocas have picked up speed again. Guyot Environnement - Team Europe did best on day seven at sea. Skipper Robert Stanjek, navigator Sébastien Simon, Anne-Claire le Berre and foreshipman Phillip Kasüske had extended their lead to a good 60 nautical miles on the morning of 1 February, reaching speeds well in excess of 20 knots in the end. They were followed by "Holcim - PRB", "Biotherm", the US team 11th Hour Racing and, bringing up the rear, Team Malizia, again a good 150 nautical miles behind.
Robert Stanjek: "We don't want to give up any of our height"
The Franco-German quartet on "Guyot" defended their easternmost position in the fleet as they extended their lead overnight. Robert Stanjek said: "We may not be sailing the perfect angles right now, but we don't want to give up any of our height." The black and green "Guyot" is still positioned closest to the direct course line of the second leg from Cape Verde and therefore has the shortest route to the finish. On Wednesday morning, the crew still had a theoretical 3,400 nautical miles to Cape Town just south of the seventh parallel south.
According to skipper Robert Stanjek, navigator and tactician Sébastien Simon put them in the leading position. The mood on board the former "Hugo Boss" is correspondingly good. Stanjek's interim assessment with a look back at leg one shows how Guyot Environnement - Team Europe got to its strong leading position: "On the first night of the leg, we were still on the wrong side of the game, so the other boats pulled away further east and were able to make some early gains with more pressure. But we stayed patient, sailed further and further and then under A2 some very nice downwind angles."
The Guyot team chose the most efficient course
Stanjek reported in an interview with the Imoca Class Association that Simon did an excellent job of steering the boat through the changing conditions in terms of wind angle and pressure as Guyot Environnement - Team Europe made up lost ground. "He was very patient with the fluctuating, persistent shifts," said Stanjek. He continued: "We made five or six gybes, made up good ground and got back in touch with the fleet. Then he decided to position us a little to the east of the competition. After all, we were the most easterly boat."
Initially, Simon was still worried that he had chosen the wrong course. Initially, Paul Meilhat's team on "Biotherm" led the fleet in the light and fickle winds of the Doldrums. But then "Guyot's" position began to pay off. Stanjek says that the team managed to sail an efficient course to the south compared to their competitors further west.
Guyot's secret: every metre in forward motion
"I am very proud that the whole team did a very precise job to be able to sail south in a straight line," said Stanjek. "If you look at the tracker, the courses sailed by the other boats look much more nervous than ours with a few gybes and adjustment angles. We really tried to invest every metre in the forward motion to get south. I think that's probably one of the secrets of why we're now in the lead."
Encounter with Neptune: Sailing premieres in the southern hemisphere
The equator baptisms on Tuesday were a lot of fun on the boats. All the sailors who were sailing into the southern hemisphere for the first time had to undergo "Neptune's tests". The following clip shows how the ceremony went on board Team Malizia and who celebrated their birthday at the same time ...
Skipper Robert Stanjek, Phillip Kasüske and on-board reporter Charles Drapeau were "tested" on board "Guyot". At the same time, the crew became the first team to cross the equator on 31 January and celebrated their good opening performance on leg two.
