From sticky calm to freshening breeze
After a long, hot, and restless night gybing along Mallorca’s north coast, the Ocean Race Europe fleet found relief today in fresher winds. The seven IMOCAs are now in reaching mode, charging northwest towards France at speeds that have lifted spirits on board.
In this onboard video footage, taken overnight, Amaala’s team works for progress.
Biotherm’s tactical patience paid off. Paul Meilhat’s crew seized on the transition to stronger breeze to edge clear of Rosalin Kuiper’s Holcim-PRB, opening an 11-nautical-mile margin by midday.
“We had some good speed through the transition,” Meilhat said. “I don’t know how many times we changed headsail – maybe five or six times – so it was a lot of work for the crew.”
Life on board: relentless and sweltering
The light winds overnight brought no respite. Crews were constantly trimming sails, making calls on navigation, and rotating headsails. Inside the boats, heat and humidity sapped energy, leaving sailors drenched in sweat and running on calories burned faster than they could replace.
Holcim’s Carolijn Brouwer described conditions as “Hot, sticky, sweaty – but fun.” She added: “It’s hard to keep hydrated and you lose a lot of calories, so we are really trying to eat a lot to get the energy back into the body.”
Despite the physical toll, Brouwer found time to admire the Mallorcan scenery. “Going along the northern side of Mallorca was really, really beautiful. We came very close into the shore — there was enough depth there — and at the same time we were battling it out with Biotherm to see who could push further inshore.”
The pack stretches
Behind the leaders, the fleet has stretched. Ambrogio Beccaria’s Allagrande Mapei hold third, while Alan Roura’s Amaala trail in seventh, 50nm back. Between them, Paprec Arkéa, Malizia, and Canada Ocean Racing remain in striking distance of the podium.
Holcim helmsman Franck Cammas struck a measured tone: “Biotherm is a little bit in front because we fell in a bit of a light spot. But there is a long way to go.” His trademark smile suggested the duel is far from settled.
Storms ahead, course amended
Race Control confirmed this afternoon that the traditional rounding of Corsica’s Giraglia rock has been dropped. Instead, a virtual waypoint 20 miles northwest will keep the fleet clear of dangerous night conditions, with thunderstorms and gale-force winds in the forecast.
This adjustment removes one of the leg’s most iconic obstacles but underlines the safety-first approach required in the Mediterranean’s unpredictable summer weather.
The run to Nice
With less than 300nm remaining, Biotherm hold the advantage, but the race is far from decided. The final approach to Nice is forecast to bring another collapse in wind near the shore, threatening to shuffle the order once more.
The frontrunners are expected near the Côte d’Azur early on Friday morning, though light airs could yet delay the finish. For now, Biotherm enjoy the view from ahead — but the Med has a habit of springing surprises.
As a post-script of this report, I have just received an interview with Alan Roura, skipper of Amaala, with commentary on their day’s progress.
