Kevin Escoffier officially abandons Leg 4 of The Ocean Race

The Ocean Race 2022-23 - 29 April , Leg 4 Day 6 onboard Team Holcim - PRB. Drone image of Team Holcim PRB arriving to Rio de Janeiro with their jury-rig and motor © Georgia Schofield | polaRYSE / Holcim - PRB / The Ocean Race

Holcim-PRB arrived this evening at 7:17pm UT in Rio (9:17 pm french time). Kevin Escoffier, Benjamin Schwartz, Annemieke Bes and Fabien Delahaye were welcomed by part of their team on land.

Since the dismasting of the IMOCA boat on Thursday morning while leading the leg to Newport, the sailors and the whole team have been considering all possible solutions so that a mast can be brought in as soon as possible in the hope of being able to finish this fourth leg.

But finally, Kevin Escoffier announced on his arrival in Rio that he had to abandon the leg in order to give himself a maximum chance of being at the start of the transatlantic race between Newport and Aarhus on May 21. The current leaders in the general ranking cannot miss this event with a double coefficient. "It's a very difficult decision to make, but common sense prevails. Since our dismasting, the whole team has been totally focused on finding the best solutions so that we can get back into the competition in a solid way. Starting again on this fourth leg would allow us to take a point, but not to arrive in time to line up at the start of the next leg in Newport. But the sporting stakes of the fifth leg are very high and we want to be able to present ourselves at our best level for this leg which will count double. We are definitely still aiming for victory on this round the world race and in this perspective, this is the best decision we can make", comments the skipper of Holcim-PRB.

If the objective is now clear, the countdown continues to run. The Holcim-PRB team led by team manager Marine Derrien has a lot of experience in logistics and this will be key in the coming days. The operations are going to be carried out in a very methodical way. In Rio, the shore team members, with the help of the sailors, will prepare the IMOCA boat to be loaded onto a cargo ship. The latter could set sail on Tuesday to head for Newport. It will take about 16 days at sea to reach the American port. At the same time, on the other side of the Atlantic, the mast will be loaded onto another cargo ship. The crossing will last 7 days and the mast could be unloaded between May 9 and 10 in Newport.

The whole team is about to set a breathtaking pace for the next three weeks. The slightest grain of sand can disrupt the whole system and each stage must be perfectly anticipated and mastered so that Holcim-PRB can line up on May 21 alongside the four other IMOCA boats in The Ocean Race. For Kevin Escoffier, there is no doubt that his team will meet this challenge. "I know that everyone is very mobilized and united so that we can be in Newport on time. I have complete confidence in my team to meet this collective challenge. We are receiving a lot of messages of support and this is a great boost. Our partners are also fully behind us and, like us, are showing incredible determination. I only have one desire, to continue this magical race. In Newport, at the start of the fifth leg, it is possible that we will still be in the lead of the general classification. Mechanical breakdown is part of our sport, we accept it. The next leg will be decisive for the rest of the race and we are looking forward to giving our best as we have done so far" concludes Kevin Escoffier.

In the best case scenario, Holcim-PRB will be in Newport on May 18. The team will then have just over 48 hours to rig the boat and finish preparing it for the return trip to Europe. Once the challenge is over, the sailors will have only one wish: to share the best place at the finish in Aarhus with all the people who have worked so hard to make this leg possible.