Leaders stall as chasers surge: Mediterranean throws race wide open

The Mediterranean has lived up to its reputation, transforming the sprint to Cartagena into a crawl. After storming through Gibraltar at 30 knots, Paprec Arkéa this morning were drifting at barely a knot, watching as Biotherm and Holcim-PRB slipped past to the north and the chasing pack pulled closer from behind.

Just half a day ago Yoann Richomme’s crew looked in control, stretching away as they entered the Med in first place. “We made a great move in the night from Wednesday to Thursday with a good sail configuration, hitting around 30 knots,” Richomme said. But by dawn came the shock: “The fan just completely turned off! We went from 25 knots to 4 knots in 10 seconds.”

Paprec Arkéa’s choice to stay further offshore proved costly. Hoping to hold the gradient breeze, they found nothing. Biotherm, meanwhile, hugged the Spanish coast and picked up a faint thermal, climbing back from near standstill to five knots.

Paul Meilhat’s crew judged the transition best, emerging with the lead in the early hours this morning as the coastal breeze filled. Hot on their heels, Holcim-PRB moved into second, though skipper Franck Cammas warned nothing is secure. “In these conditions, there’s always a chance for the boats behind to come back,” he said. Teammate Alan Roberts added: “It’s flat and there’s no wind. Not like a few hours ago – we had 30 knots. It’s going to be light winds all the way to the finish.”

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Behind the leading trio, the fleet have sensed their opportunity. Jostling for fourth and fifth, Team Malizia and Allagrande Mapei Racing hit over 30 knots in the night, then crashed into the same calm patch that trapped Paprec. By Friday morning they were back up to 7-9 knots, cutting a 100-mile gap at Gibraltar down to just 35.

“Last night the wind picked up to 25 knots with big speed. We had to change sail, did a lot of gybes, sailing super fast,” said Allagrande’s Manon Peyre. “We had a crazy moment where we were going around 35 knots – I was hanging on there!”

Malizia skipper Will Harris welcomed the fight: “It’s nice to have another boat to push with. The other guys are still far ahead, but the Med is all over the place. We’re not here to fight for fourth or fifth place – we’re here to fight higher up.” Loïs Berrehar agreed: “It’s never finished until the finish line. We just need to take the opportunities ahead, do the best with our forecast.”

As of midday, Biotherm had stretched an 18-mile lead over Holcim-PRB, with Paprec Arkéa six miles further back and still struggling to escape the offshore hole. Behind them, Malizia and Allagrande Mapei are neck and neck and closing the distance. Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive crossed Gibraltar on Friday morning in sixth, as Team Amaala brings up the rear.

For Richomme’s crew, it’s déjà vu. In Leg 1 Paprec Arkéa were caught out in another light-wind transition by Dover, losing ground to Malizia which ultimately cost them a position. Now with less than 100 miles to go, they face the prospect of not only losing the lead, but tumbling out of the top three altogether. For Richomme, the next hours will be decisive: “We still have several transitions to get through – it’s going to be very unpredictable. We expect to shift from westerlies to easterlies, but the breeze will stay very light all day.”

Cammas echoed the uncertainty: “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!”

In the fickle conditions, the finish for the leading boat in Cartagena could come any time between 23:00 Friday night and 05:00 on Saturday morning local time. What looked like a straightforward drag race yesterday has turned into a drifting match where every puff of wind counts, and no position is safe.