The five teams started the 14th edition of the circumnavigation in front of Alicante in Spain. It goes around the world in seven stages. The destination is the port of Genoa in Italy on July 1st.
718 days after crossing the finish line of his last circumnavigation at the Vendée Globe, Boris Hermann is sailing around the world again. The 14th Ocean Race started in front of Alicante in Spain.
In front of tens of thousands of spectators on land and on the water, the five Imoca yachts made their way around the world in seven stages, ending in Genoa on July 1st. Herrmann from Hamburg and his team Malizia tackled the Ocean Race on the new “Malizia – Seaexplorer”. Germany’s best-known sailor is not traveling solo – the race is completed with several crew members.
At the start, the French “Biotherm” raced off after a lightning start with up to 28 knots. The blue and white racing yacht of skipper Paul Meilhat quickly gained a half-kilometre lead, while Hermann’s pursuers fought exciting position battles behind them. The opponents also include the Guyot Environnement – Team Europe around the Frenchman Ben Dutreux with the Berlin co-skipper Robert Stanjek and crew member Phillip Kasüske. However, the “Guyot” crew had problems furling a headsail a few minutes after the start and initially fell behind.
The teams will need about five days for the first 1900 nautical miles long opening leg. It runs south from Alicante through the Strait of Gibraltar to Cape Verde. “Whoever reaches the trade winds first has a good chance of winning the stage,” predicted Herrmann shortly before the start. After a short stop in Cape Verde, the race will continue on January 25 with the second stage to Cape Town.
Source: Stern
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