With a Mediterranean shake-up: the race is wide open

The Strait of Gibraltar delivered spectacular scenes on Thursday as the leading boats in The Ocean Race passed into the Mediterranean — and almost immediately saw their hard-won advantages vanish in light winds.

The top five teams blasted through the iconic strait in fast downwind conditions, but soon after, progress ground to a halt in the windless patches of the Alboran Sea.

By Friday morning, Biotherm, Team Holcim-PRB and Paprec Arkéa were locked together within just three miles of one another, while Allagrande Mapei Racing and Team Malizia closed in quickly from behind. With less than a day to go until the finish in Cartagena, the stage is set for a nail-biting showdown.

Stunning scenes at Gibraltar

The passage of the fleet was as dramatic as it was decisive. For Paprec Arkéa, then in the lead, Gibraltar was surprisingly quiet given its reputation as one of the busiest waterways in the world. Onboard Reporter Julien Champolion captured the moment by drone: a breathtaking shot of the boat slicing through flat seas, with clear skies above and land in the distance.

Across the fleet, reporters delivered equally striking images — Gibraltar seen from Biotherm’s cockpit, Allagrande Mapei Racing skimming across the surface, and a spectacular sunrise aboard Holcim-PRB.

But even with the beauty of the setting, the racing tension never let up.

“The fan just completely turned off”

Paprec Arkéa, who had led since Tuesday, crossed Gibraltar first and initially stretched away in strong conditions. *“We made a great move in the night from Wednesday to Thursday with a good sail configuration, hitting around 30 knots,”* explained skipper Yoann Richomme. *“Shifting a little further south before Gibraltar helped us. Then we caught another strong breeze before hitting a really big calm patch.”*

The transition was brutal. *“The fan just completely turned off,”* Richomme laughed. *“We went from 25 knots to 4 knots in 10 seconds!”*

Team Holcim-PRB also used the Gibraltar passage to their advantage.

"After a nice passage with strong westerlies downwind, we ended up in much calmer transition zones,” said Franck Cammas. Sailing with Rosalin Kuiper, the crew managed to reel in Biotherm. “At one point we were just three miles away before the gap opened again,” Cammas recalled.

By Friday morning, though, everything had changed again: Biotherm, Holcim-PRB and Paprec Arkéa were side by side, barely three miles apart as they tracked the Spanish coast. “In these conditions, there’s always a chance for the boats behind to come back,” Cammas warned.

Everything to play for

Behind the leading trio, Allagrande Mapei Racing and Team Malizia are less than 60 miles back, pushing hard to rejoin the battle. Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive crossed Gibraltar on Friday morning in sixth, with Team Amaala bringing up the rear.

With less than 24 hours until the finish in Cartagena, nothing is certain.

“We still have several transitions to get through — it’s going to be very unpredictable,”* said Richomme. “We expect to shift from westerlies to easterlies, but the breeze will stay very light all day.”

Cammas agreed: “We’ll be making progress in light winds, sailing upwind, waiting for the northeast breeze that will line us up properly. It could be a long stretch, but we’ll try to grab every opportunity. That’s the joy of the Mediterranean… at least the game is wide open, and it’s never over!”