![\"\"](\"https:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/08\/m189254_TORE_02_03_250829_VC_070-630x354.jpg\")
Photo: Vincent Curutchet \/ The Ocean Race Europe 2025.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe rest of the Photo: Vincent Curutchet \/ The Ocean Race Europe 2025.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe rest of the Ocean Race Europe <\/a>fleet soon finished their 3-day, 680 nautical mile passage. The Mediterranean challenged sailors right up until the end, with unpredictable weather conditions, low pressure fronts, and sudden squalls of up to 70 knots.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn the light winds it can be more work than in the strong winds,\u201d said Malizia's Boris Hermann. \u201cWe had all conditions \u2013 from reefed and small headsails to spinnakers. We used all the sails which is not normally the case on most legs. It was all-the-time full-on action and enjoyable racing. It was so motivating to have our competition in sight all the time.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cIt was an incredible leg,\" added Holcim - PRB skipper Rosalin Kuiper. \"I have never experienced something like this: so many manoeuvres, all the weather models were different to what we saw on the water. We had to be super flexible and dynamic and we didn\u2019t sleep much \u2013 the crew is exhausted.\"\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/08\/Richard-Mardens-The-Ocean-Race-630x354.jpg\")
Credits: Richard Mardens \/ The Ocean Race.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe fleet left Cartagena on the afternoon of 26 August in 12-17 knots of fresh north-easterly. Crews sailed upwind, braiding a neat line of tacks up the Spanish coastline.\r\n\r\nBiotherm was again first through the scoring gate at Cabo de Palos, making the most of the ideal conditions and confirming their as-yet untarnished score.\r\n\r\nAll teams reported feeling unsettled by the incoming low pressure and the general meteorological instability of the Mediterranean.\r\n\r\nPaul Meilhat of Biotherm commented before setting off, \u201cThere is low pressure on the way. We don\u2019t really know what will happen but it will change the timings a lot \u2013 so we don\u2019t really know what the course will be.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s going to be super challenging,\u201d said Team Holcim-PRB\u2019s Rosalin Kuiper. \u201cWe will prepare for every scenario and we will see when we are out there.\u201d\r\n\r\nBoris Hermann, who replaced Leg 2 skipper Will Harris onboard Malizia, says \u201cThe centre of that low might coincide with our biggest obstacle \u2013 which is the beautiful island of Mallorca. We might sneak very close past the northern coast of Mallorca, but other scenarios yield different routes. There will be surprises up until the end.\u201d\r\n\r\nBiotherm also made some crew changes for the Ocean Race Europe Leg 3, replacing Jack Boutel with fellow frenchman and Vendee Globe<\/a> alum Benjamin Ferr\u00e9.\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/08\/Adrien-Cordier-The-Ocean-Race-630x354.jpg\")
Photo: Adrien Cordier \/ The Ocean Race.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nHeading into the night, teams had to chose between preserving an ideal heading with less wind, or chasing stronger breezes offshore.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s been breeze versus angle pretty much the whole night,\u201d explained Team Malizia\u2019s Cole Brauer<\/a>. \u201cYou get a nicer angle going into the shore, but less breeze, so you kind of have to play both sides to find a little happy middle ground.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe upwind conditions came with an intense workload for crews, demanding frequent tacks and constant trimming.\r\n\r\nItalian sailor Ambrogio Beccaria of Allagrande Mapei was unfazed by the unpredictable conditions.\r\n\r\n\u201cI love Mediterranean sailing,\" he commented. \"I was born here and it is what made me love the sea. I hope she loves me too, but sometimes it is a difficult relationship and it is hard to understand what she wants.\u201d\r\n\r\nHis team was considering several possible routing options. \u201cWe need to use our instincts,\" he said of deciding tactics. \"We like that.\u201d\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/08\/Richard-Mardens-The-Ocean-Race-1-630x354.jpg\")
Photo: Richard Mardens \/ The Ocean Race.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe pace picked up after a long night of light, humid airs. Holcim-PRB\u2019s Carolijn Brouwer described the conditions as: \u201cHot, sticky, sweaty \u2013 but fun.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cI don\u2019t know how many times we changed headsail \u2013 maybe five or six times \u2013 so it is a lot of work for the crew,\u201d said Mielhat.\r\n\r\nThe middle of the second day saw 16 knots of northerly breeze, and Biotherm and Holcim-PRB locked in a close battle for first place. In some points, the two contenders were separated by just a half mile. Team Paprec Ark\u00e9a, closely followed by the rest of the fleet, fell another 12 miles behind.\r\n\r\nBiotherm pulled ahead after a close battle, but the leading team never rested on its laurels.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_159826\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]![\"\"](\"https:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/08\/m189077_TORE_02_03_250829_JLC_020-630x354.jpg\")
Photo: Jean-Louis Carli \/ The Ocean Race Europe 2025.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nBiotherm sailor Sam Goodchild (GBR) commented,\u00a0\"All night we felt like they were going quicker than us behind us and we were going into lighter winds \u2013 so we felt like they were catching up. The forecast was saying that we were going to park in front of Nice for a few hours to wait for the wind. All of that was not for relaxing.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cThe only moment we felt \u2018we have got this\u2019 was about half a mile from the finish line, when we could see wind between us and the finish.\"\r\n\r\nHolcim - PRB helmsman Franck Cammas commented, \"We fought against Biotherm from the beginning to the end. Even two hours before the finish we hoped to overtake them. The battle is very nice. It\u2019s what we love in The Ocean Race: to fight against the very best crew in the world and to be able to see them all the time.\u201d\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/08\/Pierre-Bouras-The-Ocean-Race-630x354.jpg\")
Photo: Pierre Bouras \/ The Ocean Race.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nStronger winds arrived as the fleet approached the French coast, close to the island of Poquerolles.\r\n\r\nIn light of the meteorological instability, Race Control issued a course amendment that shifted the final turning mark of Leg 3 from the Ile De La Giraglia to a virtual waypoint 20 miles further to the northwest. The switch kept the fleet from having to round the island in potentially treacherous conditions, which are forecast to include thunderstorms and gale force winds.\r\n\r\nThe dismal forecast kept its promise when a sudden wind squall with winds reaching 70 knots sent Team Amaala skipper Alan Roura on deck to reduce sail (in his underpants!).\r\n\r\nRoura commented that he has never experienced such heavy swells in the Mediterranean Sea before, and that maintaining the speed of the boat was of a lower priority than securing the sails to prevent them from being displaced from the deck of the boat.\r\n\r\n\"It was beautiful. We really enjoyed it so much,\" he said after the finish, in typical good humour. \"We love it when it's stormy like this. Until the end we were in the game and that's a good feeling. We were last, but not by so much!\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_159828\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]![\"\"](\"https:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/08\/m189146_TORE_02_03_250829_JLC_068-630x354.jpg\")
Photo: Jean-Louis Carli \/ The Ocean Race Europe 2025.[\/caption]\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/05\/YW_JUNE19_-COVER-1-152x200.jpg\")
<\/a>If you enjoyed this recap of the Ocean Race Europe Leg 3\u2026.<\/h2>\r\n\r\nYachting World is the world's leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.<\/em><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nBuild your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers<\/a> and save at least 30% off the cover price.<\/em><\/div><\/blockquote>\r\nNote: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em>","excerpt":{"rendered":"Given what the IMOCA 60 class was designed for \u2013 and the way in which blasting around the world non-stop, alone, on foils in just under 65 days grabbed everyone\u2019s attention last winter with the Vend\u00e9e Globe \u2013 we could be forgiven for thinking that a six-leg, fully crewed, stopping service around Europe is a walk in the park for the world\u2019s top sailors and their 60ft rocket ships. You might not be surprised to hear they don\u2019t seem to see it like that. After all, what\u2019s the point in talking down an event that many of them have been talking up for months in the boardrooms of potential commercial backers? I spent a bit of time with the skippers and crews on board their boats and on the dock ahead of the start of The Ocean Race Europe in Kiel, and it\u2019s quite clear they mean it when they say that the 4,500-mile, six-week race would be extremely tough. Sam Goodchild, who is sailing aboard Biotherm, looked me straight in the eye and said: \u201cIt\u2019s not going to be easier than the Vend\u00e9e Globe that\u2019s for sure.\u201d Biotherm skipper Paul Meilhat, who finished 5th in the last race around the world, and who sailed Biotherm fully crewed in the 2022\/23 Ocean Race told me that, while he had recuperated physically from his recent lap of the planet, he hadn\u2019t fully recovered from the project mentally and that this race around Europe would give him, \u2018the kind of slap in the face that I need to get back on track!\u2019 Both of them talked of the intensity of the race and the focus it requires \u2013 particularly the complexity of a course that weaves itself around sand banks, rocks and wind farms to exclusion zones, shipping lanes and general traffic. They talked of the complex weather, the tides and, of course, their competitors. The crews may have barely discussed a watch system, given that there\u2019s so little opportunity to operate one if you\u2019re going to stay ahead of the pack. The longer legs in this race from Kiel, Germany, to Boka Bay in Montenegro, each take around four days, around the time that the rest of us might take to do the Fastnet Race. But in their case, they do five of them back-to-back with just three days at best between each race. Each team is also limited to just five shore crew, which means the race crew will have to muck in at the stopovers if there is (and there will be) anything to fix. The fact is that even though The Ocean Race Europe doesn\u2019t really bill it like this, the crews see this as a very different and intense race for this class, something akin to the Figaro, or perhaps even a bigger version of the Tour de France \u00e0 la voile of the early 2000s when it was raced in Mumm 30s. So, whether you were talking to Yoann Richomme, Brian Thompson, Boris Herrmann, Cole Brauer, …Continue reading »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":463,"featured_media":159822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[747,207,1633],"review_manufacturer":[],"acf":[],"introduction":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159901"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/463"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159901"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159903,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159901\/revisions\/159903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159901"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=159901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}