Great sailing cinema at the arrival of the Ocean Race fleet in The Hague. The US team 11th Hour Racing was able to bring home the stage win largely unchallenged, apart from one slip-up. The Americans needed 2 days, 18 hours, 24 minutes and 15 seconds to do so. But the Swiss team Holcim - PRB had to fend off some impressive attacks from Boris Herrmann's Malizia team in the final sprint.
Compliments from the competition
Within 24 hours, the Herrmann quartet had reduced the gap of more than 60 nautical miles to less than one nautical mile in some cases and even overtook the Swiss around new skipper Benjamin Schwartz at one point. In the end, however, the "Holcim - PRB" crew finished the stage in second place with a lead of 1 minute and 20 seconds.
Overall, the first three boats were separated by just 13 minutes and 43 seconds at the finish. For "Holcim - PRB" in particular, the final duel with "Malizia - Seaexplorer" turned into a nail-biter at times. Yoanne Richomme said in the harbour: "We had a line wrapped around the keel last night, so Malizia passed us. But we were able to overtake her again and defend second place. Malizia sailed well. I think the last leg will be a long one, with the three of us teams battling it out again."
Jubilee arrival in "Rosie-Land"
You don't have to be a maths expert to work out that Team Malizia's early start to the sixth stage was one of the factors that tipped the scales in favour of the result at the finish. On the flip side, the outstanding performance of this stage was the impressive chase with which Boris Herrmann, Will Harris, Rosalin Kuiper and Axelle Pillain made the stage finale so exciting and also made a big impression on the competition. Draped in the Dutch flag of her home country, the 28-year-old was greeted with chants of "Rosie" and loud cheers from the sailing enthusiasts in the harbour.
Rosie Kuiper said in tears at the finish harbour that this reception and this third place on the leg to The Hague meant "the world" to her. Overwhelmed by her emotions, she said that she had realised "a big dream with a great team" by sailing around the world. Boris Herrmann also agrees: "I have the feeling that we have arrived in Rosie Land. I see flags with her face and her name everywhere. That's fantastic! The stage was impressive from the fly-by in Kiel to here in The Hague."
Royal fans on board "Malizia - Seaexplorer"
Immediately after crossing the finish line, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands boarded "Malizia - Seaexplorer" to personally greet the crew around skipper Boris Herrmann and "their" local heroine Rosie Kuiper on the water.
The results of the sixth of seven legs are crucial in the battle for overall victory in the 14th The Ocean Race. Team Malizia can no longer win the race around the world with 27 points in the Ocean Race account. It leads 11th Hour Racing with a substantial 33 points ahead of Team Holcim - PRB with 31 points. This means that the Americans have it in their own hands: if they finish third or better on leg seven, they can lift the Ocean Race trophy to the skies above Genoa.
11th Hour Racing on course for overall victory, only "Holcim - PRB" could still stop the Americans
However, Boris Herrmann and his crew still have a mathematical chance of ousting "Holcim - PRB" from second place. Just as the Swiss team can still jeopardise the Americans on their way to triumph. After the top trio, which had also established itself in the overall classification, Team Biotherm and Guyot Environnement - Team Europe crossed the finish line one after the other in the early hours of Sunday afternoon.
All the sailors will now recover from the shortest, but at the same time one of the most intensive legs of the exhausting circumnavigation before the starting signal for the final act is given on 15 June. Stage winner Charlie Enright said in Scheveningen: "It was intense from start to finish! It was what we expected. We had to work hard to secure this victory. At one point 'Holcim - PRB' was ahead of us. Three stage wins in a row means a lot to us. Without that, we would now be equal on points with Holcim going into the final stage. But I take my hat off to Holcim and Malizia. They sailed very strongly."
Click here for the replay of the Malizia live broadcast of the arrival of the Ocean Race fleet in The Hague.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
