The opening leg of The Ocean Race Europe 2025 had barely begun when it delivered its first headline moment. Kiel was awash with colour and noise on August 10, flags fluttering along the Kiellinie promenade as brass bands played and a flotilla of spectator boats pressed in close to the IMOCAs on the start line. A week of sailor parades and speed runs had built to this — an 850-mile sprint to Portsmouth via Denmark’s rugged coastline and the North Sea.
Within a mile, the tone changed. Holcim-PRB, skippered by Rosalin Kuiper, and Ambrogio Beccaria’s Allagrande Mapei Racing came together at high speed. From the helicopter footage it looked like tangled sails; the reality was more serious. Mapei’s deck spreader punctured Holcim’s hull, tearing away carbon panels and creating what one commentator dryly called “a new window” in the side of the boat. Both crews were unharmed, but their races ended on the spot. Damaged sails and structural repairs forced them back to Kiel, where shore teams began an all-out push to get the boats ready for Leg Two.
The Ocean Race Europe 2025: From festival to fallout in the first mile
That left five teams in the hunt for Leg One honours.
Biotherm’s measured start pays off
Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm took maximum points at the Kiel Lighthouse scoring gate and pressed their advantage through the first night. Co-skipper Amélie Grassi described it as “relentless” — unstable breeze, constant course changes, and heavy traffic close to shore meant little to no rest. “All four of us were in the cockpit working for hours,” she said.
Their approach was calculated. Biotherm held back from over-canvassing early, keeping a steady pace in the changing conditions. That discipline carried them around Denmark’s tip at Skagen still in the lead, but into an entirely different race: short-tacking into 15–20 knots of westerly wind. The slamming, noise, and motion were exhausting, but the leaderboard stayed steady — Biotherm first, Paprec Arkéa second, and Team Malizia climbing into third.
The Ocean Race Europe 2025: From celebration to collision, and a fight to recover
Paprec Arkéa holds the line
Yoann Richomme’s Paprec Arkéa began Leg One in close company with the leaders, keeping their tactics clean despite the loss of a key rival in Allagrande Mapei. The French crew traded tacks with Malizia as the fleet pushed into the North Sea. Below deck, Pascal Bidégorry shifted gear after each manoeuvre to keep the boat balanced, while Richomme settled into his suspended seat in the cockpit, eyes on both the instruments and the horizon.
Onboard reporter Julien noted the welcome drop in wind later in the day: “It’s finally time to sleep a little — the boat is slow, so it’s a good rest.”
Malizia’s home-crowd boost
Team Malizia’s departure from Kiel was met with the loudest cheers from the waterfront, and the German-flagged team is aiming for a podium in this leg. OBR Flo admitted to a bout of seasickness on the first night but found comfort in fresh food while supplies lasted, sharing an avocado with co-skipper Will Harris.
Her take on the team’s third-place standing was pragmatic. “We prefer to be the hunter rather than the hunted. It’s a good position to attack.”
Mid-fleet battles and human moments
Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive have been chasing hard despite losing onboard camera feeds. OBR Georgia described a punishing first night: “They kept waking me up — ‘We’re tacking again!’ — and we had to keep moving sides.”
In fifth, Alan Roura’s Team Amaala sailed into lighter winds with music playing through the cockpit speakers, a different vibe from the focused intensity elsewhere in the fleet.
Repairs, strategy, and the road to Portsmouth
While the leaders look ahead to the final miles into Portsmouth, the shore teams for Holcim-PRB and Allagrande Mapei are racing the clock. A shortcut via the Kiel Canal could save hundreds of miles, but only if repairs are complete in time. Key parts — including a replacement outrigger from TR Racing’s Advens 1 and rigging from Paprec Arkéa — have been sourced with help from rival teams, a reminder of the solidarity that exists even in cut-throat competition.
For those still racing, the next challenge is navigating the forecast softening breeze while holding position — or finding an opening to pass. Biotherm’s lead, built on steady choices in the first 24 hours, will be tested as the fleet spreads into the North Sea.
As Grassi put it, “We had a clear plan for organisation and sail trim to make sure we were fast. So far, it’s gone without a hitch.”
Leg One is far from over, but its first day has already packed in enough drama for a week — a reminder that in The Ocean Race Europe, fortunes can change in a mile.
