High stakes in the Med: a decisive day ahead?

After a spectacular and sweltering start from Cartagena, the IMOCA fleet wasted no time in trading blows.

Points were quickly claimed at the Scoring Gate, with Biotherm and Paprec Arkéa once again taking two and one point respectively, before the battle intensified overnight. By dawn, Biotherm and Team Holcim-PRB had edged in front as the fleet rounded the Balearic Islands, while Team Malizia, Paprec Arkéa and Allagrande Mapei Racing remain in close pursuit.

Now, attention turns to an approaching low-pressure system tracking north from Algeria towards the Balearics — a weather twist that could reshape the entire leg.

Action-packed start

Conditions were far from easy on the Cartagena start line, with temperatures soaring above 30°C, sticky humidity and plenty of manoeuvring required in front of the crowds.

“It was a stressful start,” admitted Biotherm skipper Paul Meilhat. “There was a spectator zone right by the line which forced us to tack straight away.”

Holcim-PRB’s Franck Cammas described the opening moments as relentless: “We had a lot of manoeuvres, a lot of tacks, a lot of crossings. It was very active — but also very beautiful with the coastline as a backdrop.”

Battle lines drawn

As the fleet pushed north past Alicante and Cape Nao, the pack remained tightly bunched. By the time they turned east towards the Balearics in the early hours, Biotherm and Holcim-PRB had carved out a small but valuable lead, passing west of Ibiza this morning.

Behind them, Team Malizia holds third place, with Paprec Arkéa in fourth and Allagrande Mapei Racing in fifth — all still within striking distance.

Weather could change everything

What happens next depends heavily on the unstable Mediterranean weather. “We’re entering a transition phase with very uncertain winds,” explained Cammas. “The goal is to position ourselves well for Porquerolles. We’re aiming for the centre of a low, but we don’t know how it will develop.”

For Meilhat, the stakes are clear: “It’s going to be an already decisive day. The depression is forming off Algeria and moving towards the Balearics. After that, there are so many possible scenarios: it could pass in front of us, we might get ahead, we could end up to the west or the east….”

That makes the fight for the front even more critical. “The further ahead you are, the more options you have to choose your route,” Meilhat noted.

With the first night watches already underway, focus is razor-sharp on board. Cammas smiled: “The atmosphere is definitely studious. We’re focused on performance, not telling too many stories yet — but that will come!"