Paul Meilhat and crew on Biotherm are Ocean Race Europe champions after winning Leg 5 at Boka Bay
by Ed Gorman / IMOCA Globe Series 16 Sep 00:36 NZST
15 September 2025
Biotherm, skippered by Paul Meilhat, winners of Leg 5 during The Ocean Race Europe in Boka Bay, Montenegro on September 14 © Vincent Curutchet / The Ocean Race
Paul Meilhat and his crew on Biotherm are the runaway winners of the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe after adding their fourth leg win in five starts early this morning.
The French skipper and his crew - Amélie Grassi and Benjamin Ferré of France and the Spanish sailor Carlos Manera - cruised to victory in Leg 5, from Genoa to Boka Bay in Montenegro, arriving just over an hour ahead of Team Holcim-PRB skippered by Rosalin Kuiper.
With only a coastal race to come next Saturday, this leaves Meilhat and his team in an unassailable lead in the overall rankings ahead of second-placed Paprec Arkéa skippered by Yoann Richomme of France, who are just half a point in front of Team Holcim-PRB.
For Meilhat, this was the most satisfying of wins in a race that he has planned for and targeted for several years. This started by taking part in the last The Ocean Race around the world in 2023, when Biotherm finished fourth at the end of what turned out to be a testing but invaluable learning experience on a new boat.
"Everything has been building up over the past three years since we started taking part in The Ocean Race. It's a very good memory, even if it was difficult because the boat was new and we didn't know it well," said a delighted Meilhat, who also finished fifth in the last Vendée Globe on his Guillaume Verdier-designed foiler.
"And today we focus on what really matters," he added, "We know this is sport and everyone goes in the same direction. I was super-motivated for this race - I wanted to win it, but everyone pulled in the same direction. There's a lot of pride in seeing all these people working together and winning today."
With that background, it was no surprise that Biotherm arrived at Boka Bay in almost pristine condition at the end of a tough, five-week, 4,500-nautical mile race around Europe that has seen his team break almost nothing on board and deal with the challenges of the stopovers impeccably.
"We had this goal which was ambitious but achievable," explained Meilhat. "We prepared a lot for it - technically, organisationally and logistically. Nothing was left to chance. It was top-level both ashore and at sea...we went for it with everything we had, putting in all the resources. It worked and it's truly fantastic and now we'll be able to take a bit of time to finally celebrate because, up until now, no one has really let go."
Biotherm's win was based on smart sailing from a happy crew who took maximum points from the first four mid-leg Scoring Gates. Key roles were played by Meilhat and Grassi, alongside Sam Goodchild of Great Britain, who sailed as navigator on the first four legs, and the Australian-Brit Jack Bouttell, who sailed on the first two legs. But the boat was also ideally configured for this race, a contest that rewards fast upwind sailing and rapid response to lightwind transitions.
In Leg 5, the Mediterranean in September threw everything at the crews on a course around Sicily - the lightest of light airs, super-fast downwind foiling, thunderstorms and torrential rain, and a series of transitions when Meilhat and his team focused on trying to stay in the game. "At each transition we had to fight hard because if you 'miss the bus', you can quickly lose 150 miles," said Meilhat. "We constantly kept the pressure on ourselves to stay with the leaders. But our position in the rankings meant we were probably sailing with more freedom, maybe more than the others."
In the closing stages, during an upwind phase in the Adriatic Sea, Biotherm played the middle of the course while both Paprec Arkéa and Allagrande MAPEI Racing, skippered by Ambrogio Beccaria of Italy, took options to the left and right, neither of which paid off. But, as Meilhat explained, this was not an easy time for a leading crew. "It was still stressful because there were a lot of boats to keep under control," he summarised.
For Team Holcim-PRB, second place at Boka Bay was a terrific result after fighting back from a deficit on the leading group which stretched to 150 miles while trying to get round the southern tip of Sardinia. Co-skipper Nico Lunven was delighted with a result that leaves his team in a real battle for second place overall with Paprec Arkéa in Saturday's coastal race.
It had all gone wrong when Holcim-PRB got dropped in the early stages at the Île de Porquerolles off the French coast. "Honestly, (it happened) without explanation," said Lunven. "Well, there's always an explanation for something but we can't really blame ourselves. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they just sailed away...but being able to get back into the match and finish second - yeah, that's great. It makes for a really good leg."
In third place for the leg, it was Team Malizia skippered by Boris Herrmann of Germany whose boat did well in the breeze but suffered in lighter conditions. He paid tribute to Meilhat and the Biotherm crew. "I've never been surprised by good performances from Paul," said Herrmann. "He's one of the best sailors out there. Very well deserved, very well executed. They sailed super-clean lines, beautiful tracks in the water, and always with a slight edge in speed."