It was a start that almost made you feel sorry for the crews on their wingless Imocas: In the sleepy Danish summer doldrums, the Imocoa foilers laboured across the start line of leg six off Aarhus as if they had been held in place by invisible rubber bands. At boat speeds of one to three knots, the fewest possible manoeuvres by the teams were easy to watch, as if in super slow motion. This included the start duel between Team Malizia and Holcim. PRB, in which the Malizians initially seemed to hold the better cards.
Leadership changes every five minutes
On the way to the starting line, they held the safe leeward position to "Holcim - PRB". However, the Swiss team was able to break the overlap shortly before reaching the start line, pass the stern of the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" and in turn create an overlap to leeward. This put "Holcim - PRB" put the Herrmann team under so much pressure that only an early start was possible. The clean-up cost valuable time, but half an hour later Team Malizia had already caught up with Team Guyot again.
At the front, the Ocean Race leaders from 11th Hour Racing initially put in a good performance. However, Paul Meilhat's Team Biotherm held on tenaciously and led the fleet three hours after the start on Thursday evening, 0.08 nautical miles ahead of the catching Team Holcim. PRB and the Americans. Another hour later, "Guyot" had taken the lead ahead of "Malizia - Seaexplorer". The race continued with lead changes every five minutes. All five boats were bobbing around each other in tiny radii between the front and the back.
Kiel prepares for the fly-by
The Ocean Race teams are in for a tough night as the winds remain calm for the time being. The risk of getting caught in a doldrums trap in the Danish archipelago on course for Kiel was always present for every team. At the same time, the sailors hoped that the light wind from north to north-east would develop in their favour as quickly as possible. On Friday afternoon, the wind is expected to blow stronger from the east and could be supported by a sea breeze.
While the Imocas fought for every metre, Kiel prepared for the fly-by on Friday afternoon. The Ocean Race Live Park on the Kiellinie was officially opened on Thursday afternoon. The first visitors flocked to the Ocean Race festival mile in glorious weather and got a first impression of what could set the fjord alight on Friday during the live broadcast of the start on the big stage.
Three Ocean Race pioneers as guests in Kiel
Three Ocean Race pioneers from Kiel and Flensburg, Thomas Weber, Joachim Müller-Deile and Volker Mackeprang, were also guests. The trio were part of the crew of the "Peter von Danzig" from the Akademischer Segler-Verein Kiel at the Ocean Race premiere - back then still under the first name Whitbread Round the World Race. "Compared to today's boats, we were like travelling by stagecoach back then," said Joachim Müller-Deile with a smile. On the subject of modern nutritional counselling, Müller-Deile said: "We had that back then too. Our mothers and grandmothers did."
Between 3.30 and 4.30 pm on Friday afternoon, exactly 21 years to the day after the Ocean Race triumph of the "Illbruck", the Imocas will round the Kiel turning mark off the shore of the Kiellinie. In view of the calm winds overnight, Ocean Race Director Phil Lawrence and his team face a potentially very challenging task to keep to the timing.
More than 100,000 fans expected in Kiel
At 800 nautical miles, leg six marks the shortest sprint section of the 14th edition of the round-the-world race. "This leg will be completely different to the offshore legs we have sailed so far. We are closer to the coast, closer to mobile phone coverage and closer to our opponents," said Boris Herrmann before the start.
On Friday, the crews will also get very close to the fans in Kiel. In the "Sailing City", more than 100,000 fans and 1,000 boats are expected on the fjord just over a week before the start of Kiel Week, before the fleet continues its course to The Hague without stopping.
Will Kiel be a port of call in the next Ocean Race?
Kiel's Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer, who attended the opening in the Ocean Live Park, was also looking forward to the party under sail. Kiel's future role as a stage harbour in the Ocean Race was once again discussed. Kämpfer said that the Ocean Race was "part of Kiel's sailing history" thanks to the success of the "Illbruck" in the 2001/2002 Ocean Race. He continued: "Of course Kiel has Kiel Week. But we also want to be involved in other major regattas." Regarding Kiel's future in the Ocean Race, Kämpfer said: "I'm pretty sure that we will be involved in one way or another."
Mirko Gröschner, Marketing Director of the Ocean Race, was happy to pick up the ball. His bow to the fly-by harbour of Kiel, where a turning mark is closer to the shore than in any of the current stage harbours: "You're almost in the Maracanã of sailing here. So close to shore - no other port comes close." Smiling, Mirko Gröschner added: "We're looking forward to staying here longer in the future."
Complex, demanding, flat: the preview of stage 6:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
