Leg 7: The Hague-Genoa - Biotherm in the final leg of The Ocean Race
by Voile Biotherm 16 Jun 2023 00:35 AEST
15 June 2023
The Ocean Race 2022-23 - The IMOCA and VO65 fleets arrived to the Ocean Live Park in The Hague © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
This Thursday 15 June at 16:10 UTC, the five IMOCAs competing in the crewed round the world will hit the racetrack one last time. The seventh and final leg of The Ocean Race will take them back to where their maritime marathon began: the Mediterranean..
Though physically jaded, the keenness and mental sharpness of the men and women on Biotherm remains very much intact. Indeed, this will be their main driver as they gracefully whirl along in this last dance to Italy
Ongoing desire
"The Ocean Race is so hard that you want it to end, but on the other hand, it's so great that you want it to continue for a lot longer too," acknowledged Paul Meilhat on the eve of their departure from The Hague.
The desire to continue this extraordinary collective sporting adventure is all the more meaningful given that the blue monohull is better prepared today than she has ever been, the crew has raised its game immeasurably and, through joy and adversity, the Biotherm team has attained a whole new level of maturity.
Following the disappointment of the previous leg (4th) there has also been a real urge to transform the great feeling into results. In short, they are eager to bow out with panache.
An incredibly rich final sprint
From Holland to Italy, this last 2,200-mile course boasts a wide variety of sailing conditions spanning four different maritime areas (North Sea, English Channel, Atlantic and Mediterranean), headlands, a famous strait, as well as coastal and offshore phases. "This leg is more complicated than it seems, and it will be fairly drawn out in relation to the number of miles, but we're heading into areas we're very familiar with," explains the skipper.
Three main phases will punctuate these 10 days of racing. The first, as far as the north-west tip of Brittany features a lot of shipping, current, numerous TSS (traffic separation scheme for cargo ships) and other prohibited zones. The section down to Gibraltar will involve an offshore passage across the Bay of Biscay and along the Iberian peninsula. The Mediterranean will make up the final sprint, "and the Mediterranean is a piece of poetry in itself" laughs Paul Meilhat. Just hours from the finish, the Gulf of Genoa is sometimes reminiscent of a "big casino", coloured by burgeoning depressions or a huge zone of flat calm.
Aboard Biotherm, Marie Riou is making her return (replacing Anthony Marchand) and will add renewed zest to the team made up of Paul, Mariana, Alan and Anne. This Thursday, boosted by this final challenge, they are raring to go: "we stand every chance of doing well in this leg. We'll be on the attack!"
The first arrivals are expected into port from 25 June.
Overall ranking for The Ocean Race after 4 legs:
- 11th Hour Racing Team, 33 points
- Team Holcim - PRB, 31 points
- Team Malizia, 27 points
- Biotherm, 19 points
- GUYOT environnement, 2 points