Team Malizia fights their way into third position in Friday's Cape Town In-Port Race
by Team Malizia 25 Feb 2023 09:02 AEDT
24 February 2023
The In-Port Race in Cape Town - The Ocean Race © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
The international team led by German sailor Boris Herrmann finished in third place in today's In-Port race in Cape Town. In a southeasterly breeze of 15-18 knots, flat seas, sunny weather, and a stunning Table Mountain view, the team fought their way up to the third step of the podium after three laps of a rectangular inshore course.
The crew composed of skipper Boris Herrmann (GER), co-skippers Will Harris (GBR), Nico Lunven (FRA), and Axelle Pillain (FRA) replacing Rosalin Kuiper (NED) who felt unwell, and Antoine Auriol (FRA/GER) as onboard reporter got off to a satisfying start. Team Holcim-PRB quickly hooked into a gust and took the lead whilst the other boats stayed close to each other. Biotherm hit a race mark moments before reaching the start line, getting entangled in the process and unfortunately forcing them to retire from the race later on.
Meanwhile, Team Holcim PRB stretched their lead, with 11th Hour Racing Team in second position and GUYOT Environnement - Team Europe in third. Between mark 8 and 9, Team Malizia took advantage of a gust, lifting their Malizia - Seaexplorer on its foils, allowing them to fly past GUYOT on the inside. The team stayed in third position until the finish line, wrapping up a tricky race course for offshore race yachts that are not used to inshore battles.
"Our whole shore team did a fantastic job to get the boat in a good state," commented Herrmann. "We were third on the water, we didn't take any risks so close to the start of Leg 3 but still very much enjoyed today's racing. It's a good drill to do these in-port races, it keeps us sharp."
The crew will now rest in order to be ready for Sunday when they will set sail for a 12,750 nautical mile journey around Antarctica to Itajaí, Brazil, facing the difficult conditions of the Southern Ocean. The Leg 3 Start is scheduled for Sunday 26 February 2023 at 1415 hours local time (1215 hours UTC).
Team Malizia's A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now! mission is only possible due to the strong and long-lasting commitment from its seven main partners: MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, the Yacht Club de Monaco, EFG International, Zurich Group Germany, and Kuehne+Nagel. These partners band behind Team Malizia to support its campaign, each of them working towards projects in their own field to innovate around climate solutions.
Today's In-Port Race result:
1. Team Holcim PRB - 5 points
2. 11th Hour Racing Team - 4 points
3. Team Malizia - 3 points
4. GUYOT Environnement - Team Europe - 2 points
5. Biotherm - 0 points
Ranking In-Port Series after two races:
1. Team Malizia - 8 points
2. 11th Hour Racing Team - 8 points
3. Team Holcim - PRB - 5 points
4. GUYOT Environnement - Team Europe - 4 points
5. Biotherm - 3 points