Holcim-PRB finishes 3rd in final leg of The Ocean Race

Holcim-PRB finish 3rd in The Ocean Race Leg 7 © Julien Champolion | PolaRYSE | Team Holcim-PRB

At 1531hrs (French time) today, Holcim-PRB arrived into the sun-drenched city of Genoa.

On board the green and blue monohull, the faces of Benjamin Schwartz, Ambrogio Beccaria, Yoann Richomme, Anniemieke Bes and Julien Champolion spoke volumes of their disappointment at the finish of this final leg of The Ocean Race.

The 2,200 miles from The Hague to Genoa were sailed in very light airs. Each day of racing was a bit like a "Groundhog Day", according to the sailors of Holcim-PRB. The weather dictated a scenario that was repeated ad infinitum. The gap to its rivals even reached almost 60 miles at the entrance to the Bay of Biscay. But the " elastic game " always favored the pursuers, who took advantage of more favorable winds to regularly come back at the Swiss monohull's transom. In fact, the close quarters have often given the Holcim-PRB crew a cold sweat, even though they have always managed to outrun their rivals: " It all comes down to the smallest detail. We've always covered them. We've always put ourselves between the finish and them " comments Yoann Richomme. Holcim-PRB was leading the fleet during 95% of the time.

But this morning, Malizia succeeded in knocking Holcim-PRB out of first place by picking up a slightly steadier breeze at the coast: " Malizia catches a wind shift on an inch. Biotherm is behind us, but also catches the wind. They passed less than a kilometer to windward at 8-9 knots, and we stuck to them. It was impossible to get going again, " adds Yoann.The finish of The Ocean Race was thus decided just a few meters from the finish line in the Gulf of Genoa. Malizia won this final leg, while Holcim-PRB took third place behind Biotherm.

This is obviously a major blow for the Swiss IMOCA sailors, who fought relentlessly to maintain their lead during 12 days of particularly intense racing. " We're obviously a little disappointed, given that we were in the lead throughout the race. But that's the way racing is. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. We weren't far from winning, but in the end we finished 3rd. Malizia had a great race, congratulations to them. The hardest part was seeing our rivals come back day after day, and we were making a big effort in terms of the demands on the crew, the boat and the strategy. We didn't spare ourselves on maneuvers to dig in whenever we could. Unfortunately, we weren't able to control the fleet sufficiently last night, as they were a little further inshore than us. We didn't think they'd get the breeze they did. When they started to hit it, it was impossible for us to get it. Behind them, we watched the race helplessly. " analyzes skipper Benjamin Schwartz who admits to having had a fabulous time on board with the Holcim-PRB crew.

This arrival in Genoa brings to an end almost six months of racing, which Team Holcim-PRB has conducted with extreme commitment in its first participation in the crewed round-the-world race with stopovers, the legendary event in ocean racing. With two victories on the first and second legs, and despite a dismasting shortly after the start in Itajaí on the fourth leg, the team put in a spectacular performance throughout the event, with the majority of the boats playing at the front. In its second major race after the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, the Swiss IMOCA also proved its power and speed. Team Holcim-PRB is 2nd in the provisional overall ranking for The Ocean Race. A jury decision is due to be announced on Thursday following the collision between 11th Hour Racing Team and Guyot at the start in The Hague. This will determine the final overall ranking for this 2023 edition of The Ocean Race.

Quotes:

Benjamin Schwartz, skipper:

"We knew the finish was going to be like that. We tried to do our utmost to create gains, but each time, our rivals came back. Each day was like the last.... In the morning, they were with us, in the evening, we were 5 miles ahead. But last night, it didn't happen like that. They had some wind ashore, which we weren't able to take advantage of. We're obviously a little disappointed, having been in the lead all race. But that's the way racing is. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. We weren't far from winning, but in the end we finished 3rd. Malizia had a great race, congratulations to them. The hardest part was seeing our rivals come back day after day, and we were making a big effort in terms of the demands on the crew, the boat and the strategy. We didn't spare ourselves on maneuvers to dig in whenever we could. Unfortunately, we weren't able to control the fleet sufficiently last night, as they were a little further ashore than we were. We didn't think they'd get the breeze they did. When they started to hit it, it was impossible for us to get it. Behind them, we watched the race helplessly. But we're happy with what we did."

Yoann Richomme:

"It's all about the micro details. We've always covered them. We've always put ourselves between them and the finish. Malizia catches a laughing stock on a one-thousandth of a second delay ashore. Biotherm is behind us, but also catches the wind. They passed less than a kilometer to windward at 8-9 knots, and we stuck together. It was impossible to get going again. The wind even reversed and we were forced to set off in the opposite direction. But to be honest, the whole race was fun. The sea was flat, and the boats were sliding all the time. We managed to get some sleep, so we didn't arrive too tired. Plus, we really enjoyed sailing together.

Annemieke Bes:

"I really enjoyed sailing aboard Holcim-PRB. It was a really great crew. We can be proud of what we achieved, as we were in the lead for most of the leg. Even though the night was not kind to us and we saw Malizia go."