Stories of resolve and resilience as 11th Hour Racing Team and Biotherm finish in Itajaí
by The Ocean Race 5 Apr 2023 15:40 PDT
5 April 2023
Biotherm takes fourth place on leg 3 of the The Ocean Race 2022-23 © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
11th Hour Racing Team earn final podium position for Leg 3 with Biotherm taking fourth place in the longest Leg in race history...
As skipper Charlie Enright put it, this wasn't the finish they wanted, but it was a massive achievement all the same.
He was referring to a third place result in Leg 3 for 11th Hour Racing Team, who battled increasing amounts of damage to their boat from the first moments after the start in Cape Town all the way through the finish line in Itajaí.
At one point as the team approached the southern latitudes ahead of the scoring gate with damage to both rudders (the teams carry one spare) it wasn't clear they would be able to continue at all, or for how long.
But Enright and his crew kept bouncing back, finding repair solutions, and eventually gliding into Itajaí in the pre-dawn glow on Wednesday morning. After a tough leg, the crew appeared extremely happy to reach shore.
"There's definitely a feeling of positivity and accomplishment, more than I could have imagined," said Charlie Enright. "That leg was gruelling. It was the ultimate test.
"It didn't go the way that we'd wanted it to go. But I think every single team would have said that. It was extremely challenging. It tested the people and tested the boat.
"The resilience that our group showed was absolutely outstanding. You know, sometimes you need to be your strongest at your lowest moments and I'm just really proud of our team."
Less than three hours later, with the morning sun beating down, it was Biotherm's turn to ghost across the finish line to claim fourth place. Like their counterparts on 11th Hour Racing Team, it was clear from the smiles on board that the team felt proud in its accomplishment of taking on the longest Leg in the history of The Ocean Race and rising to meet each challenge.
"Mostly I'm very, very happy," said skipper Paul Meilhat. "We managed to get a very new boat through the south and we had to deal with a lot of issues to get here. Of course, I'm also a competitor and so I can't say I'm very happy with fourth place. But I know what we went through to get here and overall it's very positive. "
Both boats suffered significant damage during the race from Cape Town, whether the mainsail and rudders on 11th Hour Racing Team, or the port foil and casing and hull leaking on Biotherm.
And so the race to be ready for Leg 4 is now under way. Before each boat had its lines secure on the dock, shore crew and technicians were already climbing over lifelines to get a look at what lies ahead.
The boats are to be launched ahead of the Pro-Am races in Itajaí in two weeks. It's a tall order.
On the overall points table, Team Malizia takes over second place from 11th Hour Racing Team by just one point. But more than half of the race points are still available for collection on the remaing legs as the teams race towards the Grand Finale in Genova at the June.
Leg 3 Results:
1. Team Malizia -- 5 points
2. Team Holcim-PRB -- 4 points
3. 11th Hour Racing Team -- 3 points
4. Biotherm -- 2 points
5. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe -- did not finish -- 0 points
Race Leaderboard (after Leg 3):
1. Team Holcim-PRB -- 19 points
2. Team Malizia -- 14 points
3. 11th Hour Racing Team -- 13 points
4. Biotherm -- 10 points
5. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe -- 2 points
Further update from Biotherm
Paul Meilhat: "In crewed format in the Deep South, it's a very, very intense life, much more intense than we're used to in solo format. You sleep better, but you're working the whole time. You don't really have the time for any major metaphysical thinking. You're constantly caught up in the event. On a personal level, I feel like I've been swallowed up by the event. What's rewarding is our ability to resolve any issues aboard. We did some lamination, I scaled the mast several times and doing that in the Furious Fifties is great for experience. We also had the right people aboard. It was really nice. Damien is very good at boosting the team's spirits. With Sam, anything can happen to her and she stays relaxed. Antho grumbles a bit at times but he's absolutely flat out! My role was to have my finger on the pulse of the crew, to know when to take a step back, to set the pace and to make decisions so we could keep things heading in the right direction."
Anthony Marchand: "I was happy to discover the atmosphere of the Deep South, the cold, the greyness, the short nights, the density of the wind. It's a very special atmosphere. The passage around Cape Horn in a big snow squall, with the mountains cloaked in white as a backdrop, is a memory I'll cherish. I was also surprised by how you get used to the cold and humidity. At the end, all our mattresses were soaked and pitted through mould. Fourth wasn't the result we were after, but it was game on throughout the race, even if it felt like a kind of punishment from the Horn. There was lots of laughter and some great moments aboard. We had our share of misadventures too, but each time, good humour prevailed. You know you're going to have one issue every day, so each repair is a victory, and you just continue moving forward."
Damien Seguin: "What I take from this experience is how you can drive an IMOCA in crewed format, reaching new limits with the boat and the gear. It's the second time I've traversed the Southern Ocean and this time was different to the first. What's great in this part of the world is that you never know what to expect. The unknown element is always there and you do what you can with whatever you're given. That's what we come here for too. The highlight has to be our passage around Cape Horn. My first time was by night and I was a long way off. This time, we were treated to a magical spectacle at daybreak, in a snowstorm with the white summits in the background. This experience has enabled every one of us to raise our game in any case. It was all about exchanging ideas and we're all going our separate ways with a slightly larger stock of sailing experience than we had before."
Samantha Davies: "I'm struck by the fact that it's possible to push the boats so hard in such harsh conditions. It's a slightly stressful pleasure. We've racked up loads of 500-mile days... It's an easy speed to attain, but it puts pressure on the boat and the team. It's impressive. This boat is a rocket, but it's hard and sometime violent as it's constantly burying into the waves. Downwind in the breeze is a struggle, but we've learned a lot. The atmosphere between us was great too. Paul chose his team well. He managed everything really well. It's so cool to see the shore crew again here and see that they look well rested, as they were exhausted in Cape Town. They're clearly giving their all to the campaign too! I'm almost a little sad that my time's up now as I've really had a ball, but I admit that I'll be happy to get back and see my son, my friends and return to a 'normal' life!"
Ronan Gladu, on-board reporter: "This experience has been massive and I'm incredibly happy to have had this experience. It was pretty full on for the whole project and technically very hard for the team at the end. My takeaway from this will be the images of the swell when we entered the Indian Ocean and the same again at the end of the Pacific! And then Cape Horn in the snow! I'm happy to have had this crazy crew around me. They were quietly confident, without the slightest doubt or stress, which was reassuring. I can't thank them enough because this voyage was thanks to them. I'm a Cape Horner, which is down to them and down to the boat's shore crew."