August 19, 2025
2 minutes reading time
The Ocean Race Europe: A close, tight, battle
After their second night at sea, the seven crews are continuing their crossing of the Bay of Biscay. This afternoon they are expected to cross Cape Finisterre, a decisive passage before arriving tomorrow in Matosinhos-Porto for a three-hour stopover.
The gaps remain razor-thin: the top five are within less than 6 miles. Several times, Holcim-PRB has sitched places with Biotherm at the head of the fleet – the tension is high.
At a time when many Europeans are on holiday, enjoying long summer days, leisure, and putting off the return to routine, the contrast with these men and women, far from shore, who are battling so fiercely to give their very best, is stark. The seven crews of The Ocean Race Europe are giving it their all once again. And even if the weather is offering only light to moderate conditions, it has the merit of keeping the suspense alive.
This second stage is particularly important: it’s the longest, and the points on offer are doubled, with half being assigned on Wednesday in Matosinhos-Porto at this unique-format Fly By.
The three-hour, rolling stop at the Fly-by in Matosinhos-Porto, scheduled for Wednesday morning, allows teams to score equal points to leg one, so no one wants to ease off the big push right now.
The weather has played its part: yesterday, the windless zone off Ushant acted as a ‘new starting line’.
There’s a lot of game left to play
Next came the Bay of Biscay, a very familiar playing field in offshore racing. This time, no autumn storms or exhausting conditions.
The conditions didn’t really allow a clear hierarchy to form, as the crews remain within close range of one another.
While Team AMAALA (7th) and Allagrande Mapei Racing (6th) have fallen slightly behind, the battle at the front is intense, especially between Biotherm and Team Holcim PRB, who have been trading the lead since yesterday afternoon.
All attention now turns to Cape Finisterre, which the crews should reach by late afternoon. Once Cape Finisterre is behind them, it should be more of a speed race down to Matosinhos-Porto, where the first arrivals are expected late Wednesday morning.
Race coverage is available on www.theoceanrace.com as well as via media partner Warner Bros. Discovery and their Eurosport, TNT Sports, HBO Max and Discovery+ platforms.
Text and images courtesy of The Ocean Race. Read more here.