Mediterranean roulette
The Ocean Race fleet has once again been reminded why the Med has a reputation as the great equaliser. After blasting through Gibraltar at 30 knots, Paprec Arkéa looked untouchable. By dawn, skipper Yoann Richomme and crew were barely making a knot, trapped offshore as Biotherm and Holcim-PRB slipped inside them.
Richomme’s disbelief was clear: “The fan just completely turned off. We went from 25 knots to 4 knots in 10 seconds.”
It’s a scene all too familiar in offshore racing. In 2008, Ericsson 4 and Puma were becalmed in the Strait of Gibraltar, watching rivals sail past within sight. In 2015, MAPFRE went from hero to zero within an hour of rounding Ibiza. The Mediterranean has form when it comes to punishing leaders.
Coastal gamble pays dividends
Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm made the decisive call — hug the Spanish coast and gamble on a faint thermal. The breeze was patchy, but it was enough. From near standstill they were making five knots while Paprec drifted.
Holcim-PRB followed to secure second, but skipper Franck Cammas cautioned against optimism: “In these conditions, there’s always a chance for the boats behind to come back.”
That warning has teeth. Behind them, the pack is closing fast.
Chasers back in play
Team Malizia and Allagrande Mapei Racing turned a 100-mile deficit at Gibraltar into a 35-mile gap by Friday morning (NZT Friday night). Both boats hit over 30 knots before slamming into the same calm zone that felled Paprec.
Allagrande crew Manon Peyre recalled: “We had a crazy moment where we were going around 35 knots — I was hanging on there!”
Malizia’s Will Harris sounded bullish: “We’re not here to fight for fourth or fifth — we’re here to fight higher up.”
It’s a familiar story for Kiwi fans. In the last edition of the Ocean Race, Malizia’s big comeback legs often came when others faltered in transitions.
Déjà vu for Paprec Arkéa
For Richomme’s crew, it’s a painful repeat of Leg 1. Then, they lost ground in a similar light patch off Dover. Now, within 100 miles of Cartagena, their podium hopes hang by a thread.
Richomme admitted: “We still have several transitions to get through – it’s going to be very unpredictable.”
What happens next
As of Friday midday (CET) / Friday 10pm (NZT), Biotherm led Holcim-PRB by 18 miles, with Paprec a further six back. Malizia and Allagrande are both closing, and Canada Ocean Racing has just cleared Gibraltar. Team Amaala trails in seventh.
The finish in Cartagena could happen any time between 9am and 3pm NZT Saturday (Friday night to dawn local time in Spain).
And in true Mediterranean fashion, what looked like a drag race to the line has become a drifting match where every puff of breeze could change the leaderboard.
