Please select your home edition
Edition
C-Tech 2020 Tubes 728x90 TOP

The Ocean Race Europe Leg 3: Place your bets!

by IMOCA Globe Series 13 Jun 2021 09:22 PDT 13 June 2021
Start of the Third Leg of The Ocean Race Europe, from Alicante, Spain, to Genoa, Italy © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race

This afternoon, the twelve teams competing in The Ocean Race Europe (VO65 and IMOCA) took the start from Alicante of the third and final offshore leg of the race bound for Genoa. In IMOCA, there's precious little separating the competitors and three teams are at the top of the leader board with nine points apiece. As such, the 600 miles left to cover in this race will be decisive in the run up to next Saturday's last coastal race in Genoa where the outright champion will be crowned.

The fleet set sail at 13:00 hours local time bound for Italy. The course initially led the fleet around the 'Alicante living mark', positioned three miles from the start line, opposite the Cap de l'Horta. From there, the competitors launched onto a reach of around 10 miles towards the island of Tabarca before heading offshore and setting a course for Italy.

In line with forecasts, conditions at the start were coloured by a pleasant E'ly wind of between 12 and 15 knots enabling the foilers to put on a great show once they'd passed the second course mark.

Upcoming conditions are set to become more complicated with a number of windless zones to negotiate. The challenge will consist of making the most of the coastal effects, especially around Palma, along with finding the quickest routes between two areas of breeze. At this point, the teams will need to be opportunistic and highly focused in order to nail the best possible strategy.

The various options will inevitably play a crucial part in victory in this leg. Up till now, the races have been incredibly tight, in both classes as well as in the ranking. LinkedOut (FRA), Offshore Team Germany (GER) and 11th Hour Racing Team (USA) boast nine points, though the winner of the second leg, Thomas Ruyant's team, has a slight edge. In fourth place, CORUM L'Épargne has six points and Bureau Vallée 3 three. At this stage of the race, every one of them is still a contender for victory.

Thomas Ruyant - LinkedOut:

"The files have changed and the situation isn't as bad as forecast in recent days. There's only a little breeze, but it is there. We're going to need to properly negotiate the transition to get around the zone of high pressure nicely. There are three boats on a level pegging and the others aren't far behind. One thing for sure is that victory won't be decided on this leg, but rather on the coastal course in Genoa!"

Benjamin Dutreux - Offshore Team Germany:

"After the first reach, we're sure to be at the tail end of the fleet, but in the light airs and especially upwind, we're going to have more going for us. Rather than a drag race it's really going to be all about strategy. We're going to need to be patient and opportunistic. The foilers will be favoured when there's a little more breeze. It's hugely motivating to be in this position in the ranking. Conditions are such that we're still in with a chance of the top spot so we're going to go pedal to the medal all the way to Genoa!"

Simon Fisher - 11th Hour Racing Team:

"The situation looks set to be very tricky as right now there's no big breeze forecast for the coming days. We're going to have to come up with a good strategy to pick our way through the light airs. The direct route doesn't look to be the right solution. The best thing to do will be to hunt down some breeze further south, then climb back up, but we're not sure whether we can latch onto enough breeze to pull our way back up after that. It's really hard to choose which option to take. I think it will be an interesting leg and I'm eager to see which options the teams go for."

Nicolas Troussel - CORUM L'Epargne:

"We're going to continue to sail well, increase our understanding of the boat, have fun and have a good race. We're eager to sail a solid last leg. Time will tell whether we try our luck and whether other routes open up in the process. In any case, we'll be happy to sail in contact with the other boats as that's where you learn the most."

Louis Burton - Bureau Vallée 3:

"You never know how things will play out at the finish so we're going to try to line ourselves up for Genoa with the focus on continuing to learn about the boat. We've pinpointed some areas of weakness on the boat and we've immediately been able to effect repairs thanks to the team rallying together. We're very happy to be taking part in this race, we're having a ball and each time it's a great match out on the water. It's ticking all the boxes so now it's down to us to place higher than fourth on this last leg!"

Related Articles

Onboard reporters in the Course des Caps
Enjoying the challenge of bringing the race to life In the Course des Caps - Boulogne sur Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord, the Onboard Reporters, or OBRs, are back doing a wonderful job of bringing IMOCA racing to life with pictures, videos, interviews and reports from the boats. Posted on 3 Jul
Tom Dolan in the Course des Caps update
The IMOCA 60 Charal has "Switched to Full Throttle" Irish offshore sailor Tom Dolan is now four days into racing aboard the high-performance IMOCA 60 Charal, skippered by French sailing legend Jérémie Beyou, as part of the prestigious Course des Caps. Posted on 3 Jul
The Ocean Race Europe to showcase new race tracker
Developed with PredictWind to revolutionise race coverage The Ocean Race, often described as the toughest test of a team in sport and widely recognised as a leader in impactful ocean health initiatives, and PredictWind, a global leader in marine weather forecasting, are collaborating on a new race tracker. Posted on 3 Jul
Oliver Heer confirms 2028 Vendée Globe ambition
The Swiss skipper aims to return for the 2028 edition of the legendary solo race with a newer boat After completing the Vendée Globe 2024 on his first attempt, Oliver Heer, the Swiss-German skipper of Tut gut Sailing, has confirmed his intention to return for the 2028 edition of the legendary solo race. Posted on 3 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race: Offshore classics set to race
IRC Zero has a rich seam of ocean-going history running through it IRC Zero has a rich seam of ocean-going history running through it. While French round the world race legend Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (aka VDH) isn't competing in the Rolex Fastnet Race, two of his former steeds will be on the IRC Zero start line. Posted on 2 Jul
Course des Caps Update: A promising start!
The eleven crews have begun their grand tour around the British Isles The Course des Caps - Boulogne-sur-Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord, which set sail from the shores of northern France, marks the first race of the 2025 season and kicks off the new edition of the IMOCA Globe Series Championship. Posted on 2 Jul
Team Malizia starts Course Des Caps
Challenging race around the British Isles Team Malizia set sail today from Boulogne-sur-Mer, kicking off the inaugural Course des Caps race in light winds and challenging conditions with a solid start. Posted on 29 Jun
Holcim-PRB set off on the Course des Caps
With Nicolas Lunven, Franck Cammas, Annemieke Bes, Alan Roberts, and onboard reporter Anne Beauge Today at 2:00 PM (French time), the IMOCA Holcim-PRB set off on the Course des Caps Boulogne sur Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord, a challenging route of over 2,000 nautical miles around the British Isles. Posted on 29 Jun
Rolex Fastnet Race at 100 – the making of a giant
At present 469 yachts have entered this special edition - a far cry from its humble origins in 1925 One month remains until the 26 July start of the Rolex Fastnet Race, this year celebrating both its centenary as well as that of the club it spawned: the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Posted on 27 Jun
Crew dynamics will be decisive in Course des Caps
Just two days to go before the start of the first race of the eagerly-awaited 2025 IMOCA season With just two days to go before the start of the first race of the eagerly-awaited 2025 IMOCA season, all eyes are on Boulogne-Sur-Mer as 11 crews prepare to race around the British Isles in the Course des Caps-Boulogne sur Mer-Banque Populaire du Nord. Posted on 27 Jun
North Sails Loft 57 PodcastRooster 2025Doyle_SailWorld_728X90px_GP BOTTOM