The Ocean Race Europe: Freshening winds accelerate the fleet toward French coast

Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm (FRA) continues to hold the lead, but only after fighting off a sustained attack overnight from Rosalin Kuiper’s Holcim – PRB (SUI), that saw the pair duking it out close to shore as they gybed along the spectacular Mallorcan shore line.

The two boats were neck-and-neck during the night, but it was the French crew that made the most sense of the transition into the stronger winds to eke out an 11-nautical mile lead at midday today.

Behind the leading duo the five-strong chasing pack has spread out somewhat, with a little over 50 nautical miles separating Ambrogio Beccaria’s third-placed Allagrande Mapei (ITA) from Alan Roura’s Team Amaala (SUI) in seventh.

Sweltering conditions in the Mediterranean have been making life on board harder for the sailors who have had little to no rest since leaving Cartagena, Spain on Tuesday heading for Nice in France.

The winds may have been light overnight but that has done nothing to reduce the workload on the sailors who have been constantly trimming sails, strategising over navigation, or changing headsails to optimise performance in the variable breezes.

The arrival of stronger winds has boosted speeds as the fleet closes in on the French coast close to the island of Poquerolles during the day. But with winds expected to drop again this evening the crews will have to adapt once again.

With less than 300 nautical miles still to race on Leg 3 – including a rounding of the lonely Giraglia rock off the northern tip of Corsica – Biotherm continues to hold the advantage at the front of the fleet. However, nobody on that boat – or on any in the fleet – will be taking anything for granted, particularly given the unpredictable Mediterranean summer weather.