Paprec Arkéa surges into the lead down the Portuguese coast

After Biotherm dominated early on and led into the Matosinhos-Porto stopover, the fast downwind conditions off Portugal turned the tables overnight. Paprec Arkéa seized the opportunity to move in front during the night, while Holcim-PRB is now breathing down Biotherm’s neck. The three frontrunners are pushing through the Gulf of Cadiz this morning, with Team Malizia in fourth, and are expected to reach Gibraltar by the end of the day.

The brief Matosinhos-Porto stopover is already fading into memory for the sailors, though the experience was unlike anything they had seen before. *“It was definitely a bit surreal to stop for only three hours,”* admitted Paprec Arkéa skipper Yoann Richomme. *“But we all understood how much it meant to everyone we saw there, and we shared a really warm moment with the public.”

Team Malizia’s Loïs Berrehar agreed: “Yes, it was a little short but really nice. It makes you want to take a break and visit!”

That said, the competitive instinct quickly took over. *“The frustrating thing was stopping for three hours knowing the others had already set off,” smiled Loïs, recalling Malizia’s fourth-place position at the time of the “Fly By.” On Paprec Arkéa, Richomme was more than satisfied with how his team handled the situation: *“Everything lined up nicely and we managed to be efficient.”

Rankings reshuffled in a “super-fast” restart

Biotherm, first to arrive in Porto, was also first to restart, followed by Paprec Arkéa, Holcim-PRB, and Team Malizia. Skipper Paul Meilhat knew his boat would be at a disadvantage in the conditions, noting the day before that *“his boat is less comfortable downwind.”

Yesterday afternoon delivered exactly that: “fast and downwind,”* summed up Berrehar. Richomme described the restart as “Super-fast. We had a great angle, a good sail setup, and we enjoyed four to five magical hours.”

The fleet swept past the Berlengas Islands, Cascais Point, and Cape St. Vincent — and the leaderboard was shaken up. By evening, Paprec Arkéa had drawn level with Biotherm. *“It had been a long time since we got back to them,”* Richomme said with satisfaction. During the night, near Cape St. Vincent, the blue-and-red boat slipped ahead and still held a narrow advantage on Thursday morning. Holcim-PRB also closed the gap and was trailing Biotherm by less than five miles.

Further back, Team Malizia sits 65 miles behind the leader, but Berrehar insists the crew is very much in the fight: “We managed to ‘reset’ before setting off again. We had a great afternoon and we’re attacking!”

"Downwind in the breeze, we’re naturally a bit challenged. It’s a bit like rodeo: the boat lifts, drops, stabilizes, drops again… We try to work on balance to maintain the best possible speed and manage our mount as it bucks in the waves. In any case, we have a great team dynamic, we perform well in many conditions, and we know we can grab victories. But the race is still long, we know we must not rest on our laurels. Right now, the boat is giving us a bit more trouble, but we’re hanging on to stay in the match. The wind is expected to weaken throughout the day, and we’re preparing to enter the Mediterranean, hopefully as soon as possible!" declares Amelie Grassi, crew member of Team Biotherm.

A similar determination is evident on Allagrande Mapei Racing (5th) and Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive (6th), both approaching Cape St. Vincent. Team Amaala, meanwhile, lost time in light conditions on the approach to Porto, but has now restarted (as of 0837 local time).

Gibraltar on the horizon

For the leaders, the next stretch looks straightforward on paper. *“We’ll be crossing the Bay of Cadiz during the day, with quite a few light transition zones,” explained Richomme. *“We should reach Gibraltar late in the evening… It looks like a really pleasant sail ahead!”

But no one is relaxing. The battle at the front remains intense, and the sailors know all too well that once they reach the Mediterranean, with its famously fickle weather, the game could be turned on its head once again.