Leg 1 of The Ocean Race from Alicante to Cabo Verde may have been a relatively short 1,900+ nautical mile (3,519 km) sprint, but it contained many challenges. The teams had to navigate the changeable Mediterranean weather systems and the narrow, congested waters of the Strait of Gibraltar, the first big milestone in the 32,000 nautical mile (60,000km) round the world race. At times, conditions on exiting the Mediterranean were really intense, with windspeeds of up to 55 knots.
The calmer waters of the Atlantic eventually offered up some respite and fine conditions allowed Malizia – Seaexplorer to reach speeds of up to 34 knots, rapidly closing the gap on the second placed 11th Hour Racing team as they raced towards the finish line in Cabo Verde. To secure a podium place in the opening chapter of the race is a fantastic effort, especially as Team Malizia only replaced their damaged foils a week before the start.
On arrival in Mindelo, Skipper Boris Herrmann said “I’m super happy with the performance of the boat and the team. It took nearly three days before we could even speak to each other as the boat was so loud and brutal in the tough conditions after the start. We then had an almost champagne sailing situation, quite fast and nice. Our adventure in The Ocean Race has started really well.”
The team now have a short rest in Mindelo to check the boat and repair any damage before embarking on the 2nd leg from Cabo Verde to Capetown on 25 January 2023, a leg which also sees them cross the equator for the first time.
Unfortunately, skipper Boris Herrmann sustained a burn to his foot just outside of Mindelo and the medical team have advised him not to do the 2nd leg from Cabo Verde to Cape Town. Will Harris, 29 will take over the role of skipper for the leg and long-time coach Yann Eliès will cover for Boris Herrmann, who will travel directly to South Africa in order to recover and be ready to take on the challenging 3rd leg in the Southern Ocean.
In Cabo Verde, as in every stopover, Team Malizia will spread their ‘A Race We Must Win – Climate Action Now!’ message, raising awareness about ocean protection and climate change amongst children through their ‘My Ocean Challenge’ educational programme. Skipper Boris Herrmann will also be a panel speaker at The Ocean Race Summit on 23 January, which focuses on local and international sustainability issues.
A reminder of how to follow the action:
The race tracker carrying live data from the boat is embedded in the EFG website and you can view the dashboard here. You can also see The Ocean Race route with anticipated arrival and departure times for each leg here.
Daily updates are shared on the Team Malizia website and social media channels and on The Ocean Race website www.theoceanrace.com. Discovery and Eurosport channels are also broadcasting live and highlight shows of the race legs.
The Ocean Race is often described as the ‘ultimate marathon’ in some of the world’s toughest waters and as Leg 1 has shown, it is a huge test of stamina, strength of character and teamwork, with the crew continuously having to balance risk with race competitiveness. We wish them all the best for the 2nd leg and will continue to bring you more highlights as their adventure unfolds.