The battle at the front heats up

On this fourth day at sea, Team Malizia’s lead, which they have held since the start, is under threat. Their more northerly position has made them vulnerable, while behind them, Team Francesca Clapcich powered by 11th Hour Racing has taken control of the chasing pack, ahead of United by the Ocean in third and DMG MORI Sailing Team in fourth.

On board, both the boats and their crews are already being put to the test, and the challenges ahead look set to be just as demanding. 

The sailors competing in The Ocean Race Atlantic know very well that no ocean passage is ever plain sailing and that you always have to stay alert. Team Malizia, who have led the race from the outset, can certainly attest to that.

Two nights ago, Boris Herrmann and his crew had to bail water from the bow after a leak developed in one of the ballast tanks, which at the time contained 200 litres of water.

“One of the covers holding the water in had been torn off because of the repeated impacts on the boat,” Boris explained.

“We’ve lost quite a bit of ground,” added Justine Mettraux.

The Malizia crew (Boris Herrmann, Cole Brauer, Justine Mettraux and Julien Villion) have also had to contend with unpredictable weather and shifting winds that have made their progress more difficult.

“It stopped us from going as far east as we would have liked, and the north-easterly wind isn’t really ideal,” Justine Mettraux explained yesterday. “The other boats don’t have the same problem, so we’ve lost quite a bit of ground.”

Over the course of the day, United by the Ocean and 11th Hour Racing closed in on Malizia, with Paul Meilhat’s crew even taking the lead for a few hours.

As of Saturday morning, the overall picture remains similar: Team Malizia is still positioned further north, with the lateral gap between them and their rivals unchanged.

However, the race leaders are currently struggling for speed, averaging 11.7 knots over the past four hours compared with 17 knots for 11th Hour Racing, who have moved up into second place. United by the Ocean, in third, averaged 16.7 knots over the same period, while DMG MORI Global One, in fourth, averaged 15.1 knots, completing the chasing pack.

Team Malizia also gybed south this morning while their rivals continued charging east.

UPDATE FROM MALIZIA AT 0815 UTC
This Saturday morning at approximately 04:30 UTC, while racing at night at around 25 knots in 16 knots of wind at approximately 40°N, 54°W in the North Atlantic on Day 3 of The Ocean Race Atlantic, Team Malizia’s crew, skippered by Boris Herrmann, informed its shore team that an impact to the port foil of Malizia 4 likely involving a small marine mammal or large fish had resulted in a technical issue with the foil ram.

All crew members are safe, and there seems to be no structural damage to either the foil or the yacht. The crew had stopped the boat to assess the situation and determine whether a full, potentially long and complex repair was required or whether a temporary fix could be carried out on board.

The crew has now managed to find a solution and has successfully secured the foil ram in place. Two fasteners were installed from the sail locker side to lock the ram in position, and the ram was additionally lashed to prevent any movement. The foil is safely resting on its bumpers and is no longer moving.

While saddened by the encounter, both the crew on board and the shore team are relieved to have found a solution allowing Malizia 4 to race at full speed again. They will carry out additional checks in daylight to confirm the structural condition of the foil and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

“We’re looking forward to reaching conditions” 

On board DMG MORI Global One, Nicolas Lunven admits that the start of the race has been “very intense”, largely due to “unpredictable weather”.

“We had quite a few thunderstorms last night,” he said, adding that the team had also experienced “an electronic blackout on Thursday”.

Like Team Malizia, DMG MORI Global One is a new boat, and Lunven mentions “a few small things to keep an eye on” as well as some “wear points”.

“We’re trying to work on unlocking the boat’s performance potential,” explained the winner of the latest Solitaire du Figaro. “She’s not at her most comfortable upwind, and we’ve done a lot of that so far... We’d like to get into some reaching and downwind conditions, but that should come!”

Kojiro Shiraishi’s crew are not the only ones dealing with technical issues. On board MSIG Europe, the only non-foiling boat in the race and currently lying sixth, Conrad Colman and his team encountered a problem with the headsail furler. The issue forced them to bear away and sail downwind while repairs were carried out.

The “Super Sprint” remains fiercely contested

The New Zealand crew lost around 30 miles in the process and now sit 160 miles behind the race leader. That did not stop them, however, from claiming an impressive third place in yesterday’s “Super Sprint”—the sailing equivalent of an intermediate sprint in cycling, rewarding the fastest teams over a 20-minute period.

In this “race within the race”, Team Malizia claimed their second victory in three days, providing a welcome boost after their recent setbacks.

Life on board moves fast, and emotions swing just as quickly as the boats make their way across the Atlantic. Out at sea, nothing is ever certain—especially with the weather seemingly determined to keep disrupting the race right to the end.

Nicolas Lunven summed it up:

“What seems likely is that we’ll run into an area of high pressure around the Azores, which could cause the fleet to bunch back together.”

That would shake things up once again—and make an already gripping race even more unpredictable.