In the "Furios Fifties", the Ocean Race quartet is delivering thrilling speed races after two and a half weeks at sea. Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia in particular, which recently sailed eastwards with the fastest 24-hour average speed (21.4 knots) near the Rhumbline at 51 degrees south latitude, put pressure on the leading "Holcim - PRB". In the same period, the permanent leaders a little further south at 53 degrees south latitude only achieved an average of 17.9 knots. The pursuers on "Biotherm" (average: 19.2 knots) and the "Mālama" (average: 20.2 knots), which was handicapped by a mainsail tear but still surprisingly fast, were also able to reduce their gap to the Swiss team Holcim - PRB.
Boris Herrmann: "We really want to win this stage"
Just the day before, Boris Herrmann had said in his new podcast "End of Watch" in the latest episode "Give everything" in conversation with crew mate Rosalin Kuiper: "We really want to win this stage." Click here for the podcast with Boris Herrmann and Rosalin Kuiper.
With around 6,500 nautical miles to go to Itajaí in Brazil, the current advance shows the determination of Team Malizia and once again the good sailing characteristics of the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" in the conditions for which it was made. "I built the boat for the south to get through these waves better and safer," Boris Herrmann told YACHT online. "This has finally materialised in the last few days. We had to wait a bit for it ..."
Team Biotherm challenged: Crack in the longitudinal stringer
While the boats are racing eastwards on the Southern Ocean motorway, all the teams are struggling with breakage and repair work. On "Malizia - Seaexplorer", the major construction sites are currently under control, but 11th Hour Racing's "Mālama" can only operate in the first reef due to a huge tear in the mainsail. On "Biotherm", Paul Meilhat's crew discovered a tear in one of the longitudinal stringers of the boat's structure after passing the halfway scoring gate. Paul Meilhat and Anthony Marchand repaired the damage with a few layers of carbon fibre.
Vendée Globe runner-up Charlie Dalin is also watching the ocean race from shore. Speaking to the Imoca Class Association, the "Apivia" skipper said: "It's exciting and good to finally see the true potential of the Imocas with their big foils. The 24-hour record has now been broken several times. This is something I knew was achievable with 'Apivia'. I always knew that these new boats could be fast. And I actually believe that the 600 nautical mile mark is achievable in the right conditions."
Charlie Dalin: "The monohull record can be equalled by an Imoca"
The new 24-hour record for crew-sailed Imocas has been held by Kevin Escoffier's Team Holcim - PRB since 11 March with 595.26 nautical miles. The record has yet to be ratified by the World Speed Sailing Record Council. Dalin explained: "The faster the boats get, the better the geographical conditions have to be for a longer distance. So it's getting harder and harder to break the record because the boat speed still depends on the sea state. You don't need so much wind. You need constant wind over a long distance and a manageable sea state. It's quite rare that all these factors come together to achieve the required speed."
Although 595 or even 600 nautical miles is a huge leap from the old record (539 miles), Dalin believes that the new Imocas can dominate the entire world of monohulls in terms of the 24-hour distance. The Frenchman can imagine that the 24-hour record for monohulls, which is currently held by the 100-foot maxi "Comanche" with 618 nautical miles, is also within reach for the Imoca class. "I think that the monohull record can be achieved by an Imoca," said Dalin, as he intensively studies the videos of the teams at sea.
Learning for the Vendée Globe 2024/2025
"You learn a lot sailing with crews there, but it's not the same style of sailing as sailing solo," Dalin mused. Nevertheless, he uses the Ocean Race from shore like a study: "I obviously invest a lot of time watching the videos and reports so that I can get a feel for what's going on." The reason is obvious: in 2024, Dalin will be competing in the Vendée Globe as co-favourite against those skippers who can now optimise their new builds in a real endurance test with teams in the Ocean Race.
"Biotherm" skipper Paul Meilhat reports on the technical challenges for his team, who have to carry out repairs in a confined space, as if they were in a shipyard:
"Now is the time to catch up!" Team Malizia's co-skipper Will Harris gave an overview of events after 16 days at sea:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
