After two days of predominantly light wind sailing and slow progress for the fleet, the top four teams – Paprec Arkéa (FRA), Biotherm (FRA), Allagrande Mapei (ITA), and Team Malizia (GER) – were the first to experience a low pressure weather system packing winds over 30 knots that sent them tearing downwind on – and sometimes over – the edge of control.

Footage from onboard Paprec Arkéa, Allagrande Mapei, and Team Malizia all showed the teams the sailors having to scramble to get their boats back under control after spinning out – known as broaching – at high speed.

On Paprec Arkéa, skipper Yoann Richomme (FRA) woke up suddenly to find the boat on its side after the boat involuntarily gybed in the night shortly after passing through a thunder and lightning storm and into fresh breeze from a different direction.

“I walked out of my bunk standing on the wall of the boat,” he said. “Basically we were going so fast that we caught up to the thunderstorm and the clouds. Then we ended up in front of it and the wind direction switched so fast that the boat turned on its side. The boat was coming in at 32 plus knots and then bam we hit the wind in the other direction.”

After righting the boat and getting going again the Paprec Arkéa sailors had to change a damaged headsail sheet, but also discovered that their radar unit had been ripped off its bracket on the front of the mast.

Likewise, Swiss entry Team Holcim – PRB also had a major high speed broach which saw the boat round up to windward before tacking and getting pushed over.

“We laid the boat on its side,” said Briton Alan Roberts. “There was a gust and the boat broached out and then tacked, so we ended up on our side. There was a bit of work to get the boat back upright, but we are back going again now – so all’s good and everyone’s safe.”

Team Holcim – PRB sit in fifth place after losing out to the leading pack when they were trapped behind a thunderstorm line that blocked their way to the fresh downwind breeze ahead.

“We are stuck under a thunderstorm area,” said Nico Lunven (FRA). “So there’s a little thunder and lightning around us, but for now we have no wind. The first four boats have 30 knots from the northwest and we have 12 knots from the southeast. At least we are moving – because I think Canada Ocean Racing and Team AMAALA [in sixth and seventh places] are stopped.”

Carolijn Brouwer expanded on the scenario: “We are sailing upwind and the fleet in front of us that we were catching, they are sailing downwind,” she said. “We are all heading to the same waypoint except we are doing 11 knots and they are doing 22 knots. They have more wind in the south and they are [sailing] downwind, while we are [sailing] upwind to the waypoint.

“Earlier today we had to deal with some thunderstorms / thunderclouds and they sort of messed up the [weather] situation a little bit. I think they were ahead of the clouds, whereas we were just behind the clouds so we are now in a completely different weather situation to what they are. The good news is that we are heading towards the waypoint right now – we just need a little bit more lift and we will get there – and hopefully the breeze will increase.”

Things went better on board Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia who managed to negotiate the low pressure in with the leading group and hook into the new breeze.

“We had some pretty intense sailing a few hours ago while we had to cross through a low pressure, but we managed to squeeze through without it being too painful,” described Francesca Clapcich (ITA). “Now we are waiting for this westerly flow and some more downwind sailing. We are the ones who are a little bit more southeast, so we will see how that pans out compared to the leaders.

“Our objective is really to get some points during this leg and to finish with a good highlight for the team, so we are really trying to push it. Will [Harris (GBR)] is doing a really good job guiding us through this really tricky Mediterranean Sea. He is not getting a lot of sleep but probably a lot of headaches.”

Meanwhile, Paprec Arkéa and Allagrande Mapei found themselves engaged in a close quarters drag race overnight, with boat boats foiling at over 30 knots almost within hailing distance of each other.

For Mapei skipper Ambrogio Beccaria it was a surreal experience that he will not forget in a hurry.

“We had a kind of speed test in the middle of the Mediterranean with Paprec Arkéa,” he said. “Both boats were doing 35 knots with maybe 100-metres of distance between us. It was quite scary, unreal – one of the best sailing moments of my life for sure.”

At 1430 today, as the frontrunners slowed in lighter winds on the approach to a virtual waypoint northwest of the Italian island of Sicily, the tracker showed Paprec Arkéa in the lead with an around three-nautical mile advantage over the other three who were in a tightly packed group a little further north. Team Holcim – PRB remained in fifth 120 nm back, with Canada Ocean Racing and Team AMAALA respectively 260 nm and 300 nm off the lead.

After rounding the waypoint the pack will skirt the western and southern coast of Sicily later today and overnight before heading east towards Greece.

Text and images courtesy of The Ocean Race. Read more here.

Fortaleza is the capital of the seaside state of Ceará and a popular sailing destination with a strong record of hosting international events in many World Sailing classes.

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