Biotherm team in Alicante ahead of The Ocean Race
by Voile Biotherm 21 Dec 2022 23:22 PST
The IMOCA Biotherm arrives in Alicante © Anne Beaugé
On Monday 12 December, the IMOCA Biotherm arrived in Alicante, in southern Spain, after a 16-day delivery trip from Guadeloupe.
With the very recent Route du Rhum culminating in a very fine 6th place for the team, a very quick turnaround has been necessary so everyone can get back down to work to prepare for one of the major elements of the Biotherm project. Indeed, on 15 January, Paul Meilhat and his crew are setting sail on The Ocean Race, a round the world yacht race spread over 7 legs. A 6-month marathon spanning 8 cities and 3 continents, it covers all the oceans of the globe. Before this epic planetary adventure kicks off though, there is still a hefty jobs list. As such, the entire Biotherm team has rallied together in Alicante to repair and prepare the boat, which is due to be relaunched in early January.
There will be no or precious little Christmas break. The two-week sea passage from Pointe-à-Pitre, punctuated by a boisterous episode offshore of the Azores, served as a crash test of sorts. Biotherm handled things very well in the bad weather and rough seas, but a few teething issues have since surfaced. "Nothing crippling, nothing impracticable, explains Paul Meilhat reassuringly, but it serves as a reminder that we're still in the process of making her reliable."
"We still have a massive amount of work to do"
A foil casing and foil must be repaired. The electronic and electrical systems need to be improved, with a thorough check of all the key elements (rig, appendages, sails and large fittings). Finally, the fit-out has to be adjusted so that the 5 crew members (4 sailors and 1 on-board reporter) can work in a cramped cockpit for weeks on end.
"It feels as if our race against the clock - which began 11 months ago with the launch of the build for this IMOCA - never stops. We've still got a massive amount of work to do. Some of the team won't be going home for Christmas, even though everyone's been under a lot of pressure already. In fact, I'd like to thank our whole team for really stepping up to the plate in this project with a month to go till the start."
After arriving in Alicante on Monday, the boat has now been hauled out, her keel removed, her mast unstepped and her hull stripped of all her appendages. The base camp/technical zone has been set up amidst a mixture of marquees and containers, alongside the Malizia and Holcim - PRB teams, two of Biotherm's future rivals in the race. Meantime, Paul Meilhat has headed back to Brittany, the van loaded with sails and parts requiring servicing.
On 5 January, Biotherm will be relaunched and, just three days later, she'll take part in the first 'in-port race', a race around the bay organised as a prologue to each leg.
The teams will get down to business on 15 January at 14:00 hrs with the start of the first leg: a 'short' 1,900-mile sprint (around 6 days at sea) bound for Cape Verde.
The key 5 at the controls of Biotherm for this first leg:
- Amélie Grassi
- Ming Hao: reporter embarqué
- Anthony Marchand
- Damien Seguin
- Paul Meilhat