The Ocean Race : Here we go for Holcim-PRB on a legendary race!
by Team HOLCIM - PRB 15 Jan 2023 21:16 GMT
15 January 2023
The Ocean Race IMOCA Leg 1 Start in Alicante: Holcim - PRB Team, Team Malizia, GUYOT environnement - Team Europe © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
What an impressive crowd on The Ocean Race village, a village in the heart of Alicante,over the last few days. And today, it was almost impossible to get into the alleys of the Ocean Live Park as the Spanish people crowded the quay to greet the crews on their way around the world.
The sailors were carried by this exceptional energy until the moment they docked off. The Holcim-PRB Team led by Kevin Escoffier enjoyed the last minutes on land with their loved ones and the technical team, in connection with this warm public aware that these women and men are about to take up a unique and extremely difficult challenge. The emotion was intense at the moment of the last hugs for all the sailors aboard Holcim-PRB. Because this Sunday is the kick-off of one of the most extreme sporting, human and technological challenges in the world: a six-month fully-crewed sailing tour around the globe with stopovers.
At 4:05 pm precisely, the green and blue sailboat set off under high mainsail and J0, alongside the four IMOCA boats that will be her adversaries during these 32,000 miles of racing.
The 15 knots of wind present on the water at the start of the race do not reflect the first hours that Kevin and his crew will experience on board Holcim-PRB. This first leg of 1,900 miles will lead the fleet towards Cape Verde in varied weather conditions. But the first big difficulty could come very quickly in the Alboran Sea (between Spain and the north of Africa) where the sailors expect to have to deal with strong winds that can reach up to 50 knots. The choice of route will therefore be quite decisive to reach the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean. "The exit from the Mediterranean will be quite tricky, with the arrival of a front on Sunday. In this zone, there is also a lot of current and maritime traffic, which will be particularly sporty for the crew. In addition to the wind, we are also taking the sea state into consideration. In the Mediterranean, because of the wind, the swell should be short, which does not allow the boat to fly steadily and to hold very high speeds. On the contrary, in the Atlantic, the swell will be longer, so the boats are less disturbed and should go faster" explains Fabien Delahaye, spare crew member in the team and in charge of the performance.
On the pontoon, you could already witness the concentration on the face of Kevin Escoffier, who has built a solid crew around him, committed to performance. "It's a magical, historic race, it's the greatest crewed ocean race. When I see the sailors I'm lucky enough to have gathered around me and how performant my boat is, I think we can aim for victory! We're going to do everything we can to win. This first leg is not going to be easy to manage but we are ready. The shore team has done an exceptional job. We're leaving confidently with a boat that's ready to race !" explained the skipper before docking off. He knows that at the start of the race, he will also have to manage the boat, position the cursor in the right place, between safety and performance, to stay in front. The race to win Gibraltar is going to be intense. Abby Ehler, team member in the race for her 4th edition of the race adds "From my experience, on the first leg, tensions are high, everyone wants to do well so will work hard to stay in front. I think it is important to sail smart through the transitions, clean manoeuvres and not get flustered by the competition. That's the key to success."
After a great start, Kevin and his team quickly settled in the lead of the Alicante offshore race. "The start is always tense, it was quite sporty. We had some difficult sail choices and it was quite wet. But it was a great show for all the spectators!" explained the skipper of Holcim-PRB a few minutes after the start. To be in the leading group is obviously satisfying for both the sailors on board and the shore team. But The Ocean Race is a race that is won over time. We will have to be enduring around the world, in hopes to lift the trophy in Genova next July.
The expected weather conditions allow us to predict an arrival of the fleet in Cape Verde during the night from Friday to Saturday.