End of the third leg of the Ocean Race
14 Abr 2023
NEWS | Sailing, Sport
Last week saw the end of the third leg of the Ocean Race and there are now less than 10 days to go until the start of the fourth leg from Itajaí (Brazil) on its way to Newport (USA).
Team Malizia's surprise in this 3rd leg
After much effort and sacrifice, Team Malizia, after taking the lead in the competition at Cape Horn, taking advantage of the difficult weather conditions, managed to maintain this first place until their arrival in Brazil.
After sailing 14,714 nautical miles, Malizia managed on day 35 of this third leg to reach Itajaí in the lead, taking 5 points to place second in the general classification.
Nobody was betting on Malizia at the beginning of this third leg and even more so when a few days before the start, she had a setback due to a broken mast and had to mend the damage for almost two days in the middle of the crossing.
"We were waiting to see if the Holcim PRB would make a mistake," Harris said upon arrival. "They've been on our heels all the way from Cape Horn. But in the end they made a small mistake and that was the time to take our chance and build a lead to get to Itajaí with a win."
That error refers to Holcim-PRB's puncturing a gybe during a stormy night with gusts of 50 knots and a somewhat choppy sea.
Team Holcim PRB continues to lead in the overall with second place
Hours after Malizia's arrival in Itajaí, team Holcim PRB arrived. A good position for them, since, due to their second place, they remain leaders in the general classification. With the first two in the standings having a fairly wide gap to the other two teams, the battle for third place was fairly evenly matched.
Incredible comeback for Team Biotherm
Biotherm has pulled off an unimaginable comeback over the 11th Hour Racing Team during the last day, recovering almost 100 miles. Due to their complicated situation on the boat, which continues to leak water due to damage to one of their foils, makes this comeback even more incredible and amazing. Both boats suffered major misfortunes during the crossing, as the 11th Hour Racing Team had problems with the mainsail and rudders.
At the finish, they were only 15 miles apart. In the end, it was the 11th Hour Racing Team that finished third and last was Biotherm, which unfortunately remains at the bottom of the rankings.
Preparations for Leg 4
The race is now on to be ready for Leg 4, as the boats have to be tuned up and repaired as much as possible before their departure. After a week, Team Malizia and Biotherm have announced variations in the seamanship ahead of the next leg.
British skipper Will Harris will once again take over as skipper of Team Malizia for Leg 4 of The Ocean Race, as Boris Herrmann will not be on board for this leg to Rhode Island. This is not the only change, Malizia will have a new member, Frenchman Christopher Pratt, a previously scheduled change. In addition to Will Harris and Christopher Pratt, Nicolas Lunven is also confirmed.
In the case of Biotherm, two women will be added on board. Being the first team to compete from the start with half of the crew male and half female. Britain's Alan Roberts, will join Meilhat alongside Marie Riou, four-time world champion and winner of The Ocean Race in 2017-18. Biotherm will also feature Portuguese Olympic and world champion Mariana Lobato.
Stage 3 Results
- Team Malizia -- 5 points
- Team Holcim-PRB -- 4 points
- 11th Hour Racing Team -- 3 points
- Biotherm -- 2 points
- GUYOT environnement - Team Europe -- did not finish -- 0 points
Overall standings (after Leg 3)
- Team Holcim-PRB -- 19 points
- Team Malizia -- 14 points
- 11th Hour Racing Team -- 13 points
- Biotherm -- 10 points
- GUYOT environnement - Team Europe -- 2 points
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