The Ocean Race Europe 2025 - Leg 1: Lucie and Felix set to face the North Seas

by Alan Roura 10 Aug 01:20 PDT 10 August 2025

The Ocean Race Europe 2025 © Coline Beal / Air Vide et Eau productions

The start of the first leg of The Ocean Race Europe will be given this Sunday, August 10, from Kiel, Germany, bound for Portsmouth, England. The race will take the fleet across the Baltic Sea and then the North Sea, where numerous challenges — such as heavy traffic, wind farms, and strong currents — await. Many of these will be new experiences for part of the crew, made up for this Leg 1 of Alan Roura, Simon Koster, Lucie De Gennes, and Félix Oberle. A breakdown of the route and key challenges, as Team AMAALA sets off with a full dose of confidence after the speed runs in Kiel, where they won one of the four sessions and finished third overall in the general ranking.

Alan, tell us about the race:

"For this first leg, it will be quite technical, with many key points to navigate before reaching the north of Denmark, and several areas with very shallow waters. We should set off with a steady reaching wind, so things should get moving pretty quickly.

Right after that, we'll round the northern tip of Denmark. Very soon, we'll be sailing upwind, tacking our way forward, before hitting a longer leg. Then the route should gradually open up until we're almost downwind... before entering a windless zone. In fact, we'll have two transition zones over the course of the race.

Overall, apart from a few short upwind legs after rounding the northern tip, it's a fairly direct route. But it's a long one: over four days to reach Portsmouth. And the end is particularly demanding, with a "funnel effect" between the long TSS along the English coast and the opposite shore. At its widest, it's about 6 miles, with the wind right on the nose. We could end up tacking thirty times or more to work our way up against both wind and current.

In theory, it's a simple route, but it will be complex in terms of manoeuvres: lots of tacks, few sail changes, so not much stacking.

In short, it's a good warm-up: there will be wind, but nothing extreme, and thanks to the windless zones, the fleet should stay tightly grouped, which will create fresh starts each time."*

Is this your first time in the North Sea?

"Yes, that's right — I don't know the area very well yet. I only sailed the boat here to Kiel, so it's interesting to be discovering it. One thing I've already noticed is that the weather files and the actual conditions can sometimes be very different. You can't rely on them 100%.

The sea state can also be tricky. Right now, the sea is fairly calm, but in the Atlantic, we usually have an average interval of 8 to 9 seconds between waves. Here, it's more like 4 to 6 seconds. For our boats, that's harder: it hits a lot and makes it difficult to accelerate. That's something new for us.

We also have to deal with many restricted or hazardous areas: wind farms, underwater energy farms, zones with specific swell patterns, maritime traffic separation schemes... In short, there are quite a few obstacles along the route."

Why Lucie and Felix for this first leg

"Because it's the most technical leg, especially in terms of positioning on the water and overall strategy, with all the weather systems we'll encounter. This area is a bit of a 'graveyard' for weather systems, so it's not easy to navigate.

Félix has solid offshore experience, notably thanks to all his Mini preparation. As for Lucie, she knows the North Sea well: she's sailed a lot in England and in these waters, so she knows what to expect. On this leg, we'll be in a bit of a 'Figaro' configuration: close-contact racing, precise positioning at the start... and Lucie really has that vision and ability to act quickly, which is a real asset.

The pairings have been set for a long time and they work well. Simon sailed with them today, and it's great to hear that it's fun, fast-paced, smooth, and going really well."

The Ocean Race Europe 2025 - photo © Coline Beal / Air Vide et Eau productions

Lucie, how are you feeling just a few hours before the start?

"I can't wait to get started! I'm so happy to be here with this wonderful team. Since the beginning of this project, I've learned a lot about IMOCA, and today is finally the start of the first leg. I can't wait to set sail and, above all, to give my best with this amazing team. It's going to be an extraordinary adventure and an incredible competition where we'll give it our all right to the end. I can't wait!"

Felix, how are you feeling?

"Until yesterday, I still felt a little lost with all these new impressions and the crowding around, but today I feel better. We had a great week here in Kiel with the whole team! The delivery trip has already allowed us to get to know the boat better and strengthen the bonds around Alan.

We did a series of speed runs. We started each day with a little physical training, then we went sailing. Seeing Lucie, Guillaume and Jess on board again helped me find my bearings. The atmosphere is really great: a good mix of concentration and humour, everyone gives each other space, there's trust, and we support each other. So I feel like we can have a great leg! If we play our cards right and stay in the game depending on the weather, we'll be able to stay in touch, and that really motivates me. I can't wait to have an incredible time with the other three... and with Coline too, our OBR!

Today, everything is in place in my head and I'm ready to go! "

Follow the start of the race

Live coverage from Kiel, Germany, on Eurosport and HBO Max