Team Holcim-PRB announce The Ocean Race Leg 6 crew

by Team HOLCIM - PRB 4 Jun 2023 22:19 NZST

Team Holcim-PRB - The Ocean Race © Marin Le Roux / polaRYSE / Team Holcim-PRB

The Leg 6 of The Ocean Race will be the shortest of this edition, with only 800 miles from Aarhus to The Hague, rounding a buoy in front of the German city of Kiel.

This three-day sprint promises to be highly tactical for the crew of Holcim-PRB and the three other IMOCA boats that will set sail next Thursday, June 8.

After the transatlantic mode, it's the regatta mode that will have to be activated for this leg. Managing thermal breezes along the Danish and Dutch coasts, anticipating currents, a strategy that includes areas closed to navigation, oil rigs, cargo ships and fishing boats... All the ingredients for a high-tension leg, especially as the general ranking means that all scenarios can be envisaged with just a few weeks to go to the finish in Genoa. Holcim-PRB is in 2nd place, just one point behind the Americans of 11th Hour Racing Team and only three points ahead of Team Malizia. The suspense is therefore in full swing after almost five months of racing, and the stakes are once again high, despite the short distance that awaits the crew for this North Sea rendezvous.

A crew built for performance along the Danish, German and Dutch coasts

Holcim-PRB's crew will be made up of experts combining knowledge of crewed racing and match racing. Abby Ehler, who has taken part in 3 legs since the start in Alicante, will bring her knowledge of both The Ocean Race and the IMOCA Holcim-PRB. Three sailors from the demanding Figaro Bénéteau circuit will share their expertise in coastal racing, tactics and close encounters with rivals. Yoann Richomme, skipper of the IMOCA Paprec Arkéa, two-time winner of the demanding Solitaire du Figaro and reigning winner of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe in Class40, joins the team for this Leg 6. While his new monohull was launched in February, Yoann Richomme is seizing the opportunity to sail in The Ocean Race for the first time.

"I'm really happy to be on board Holcim-PRB. It's the smallest leg, but it's an important one given the team's position in the overall rankings. I had a taste of The Ocean Race when I won the first edition of The Ocean Race Europe in 2021. I've followed Holcim-PRB's circumnavigation of the globe and its performance closely. My aim on this leg is to gain even more experience. " commented Yoann Richomme on his arrival in Aarhus.

Benjamin Schwartz, who took part in the Leg 4, is an all-round sailor, equally at ease on monohulls and multihulls. A sailor, but also a specialist in onboard electronics, he will take on the role of skipper of Holcim-PRB on this Leg 6. "The Holcim-PRB team has performed exceptionally well since the start of the race. The next leg is going to be intense. It may be short, but the stakes are high. With Yoann, Abby and Martin, we're going to do everything we can to continue the adventure in the best possible way. " explains Benjamin Schwartz. Finally, the talented Martin Le Pape will be on board for his very first leg of The Ocean Race. A fabulous opportunity for the sailor from Concarneau, who is aiming to take part in the Vendée Globe.

After a hard-fought transatlantic race without any wind information, the Holcim-PRB crew is back on the water with a boat that is once again at 100% capacity. The whole team is determined to regain the overall lead in The Hague. To achieve this, there is only one possible solution: to finish in The Hague ahead of the current overall leader, 11th Hour Racing Team. When the leg kicks off on Thursday at 6pm, Benjamin Schwartz, Abby Ehler, Yoann Richomme and Martin Le Pape will have to get back into the race straight away and keep up the pace all the way to The Hague, where they'll be treated to an exceptional welcome in one of The Ocean Race's most loyal cities.

Tomorrow, Sunday, the crew will be able to put in place their automatisms during the In-Port race, which will be captured on video and photo for Georgia Schofield, who will also be on board between Aarhus and The Hague.

Team Holcim-PRB - The Ocean Race Leg 3 - photo © Julien Champolion / polaRYSE / Team Holcim-PRB

Quotes:

Benjamin Schwartz: "The Holcim-PRB team has performed exceptionally well since the start of the race. The next leg is going to be intense. It may be short, but the stakes are high. With Yoann, Abby and Martin, we're going to do everything we can to continue the adventure in the best possible way."

Abby Ehler: "The next leg will feel like a very short sprint compared to the previous legs. Estimating three and a half days at sea, with a lot of land and coastline to negotiate, a lot of shallow patches of water, a lot of wind farms. We know from the last edition of the race that the race into The Hague was extremely tight and given how tight the racing has been on the longer legs, we can only imagine it will be a match race for the entire time."

Yoann Richomme: "I'm really happy to be on board Holcim-PRB. It's the smallest leg, but it's an important one given the team's position in the overall rankings. I had a taste of The Ocean Race when I won the first edition of The Ocean Race Europe in 2021. I've followed Holcim-PRB's circumnavigation of the globe and its performance closely. My aim on this leg is to gain even more experience."

Martin Le Pape: "I'm very happy to be joining the Holcim-PRB crew for this leg, which is going to be a real sprint and which will take us very far north, which is a first for me. We're a good crew of Figaro sailors on board. I've never sailed on board this IMOCA before, so the challenge will be to adapt to the boat very quickly. I'm going to have to pay close attention to the instructions and try to bring my know-how to bear on a leg like this."

Leg 6 crew: