The fleet of seven IMOCA 60s left Cartagena this afternoon under blue skies and scattered clouds, marking the halfway point of The Ocean Race Europe 2025. With 12 to 17 knots of north-easterly breeze pressing against their sails, the mixed-gender crews wasted no time in powering upwind towards the scoring gate at Cabo de Palos.
The four-day stopover in Cartagena introduced the race to the ancient port city for the first time. Fans were treated to speed trials and dockside activity, but by Tuesday afternoon the attention was firmly back on the racing stage.
A volatile forecast
The 680-nautical mile leg to Nice is shaping up as one of the most unpredictable of the race. Skippers were almost unanimous in their view: a clear first night, then uncertainty.
Biotherm’s skipper Paul Meilhat admitted, “The first 20 hours seems clear, but then there is a low pressure on the way. We don’t really know what will happen but it will change the timings a lot.”
This is classic Mediterranean racing – tactical, complex, and often frustrating. Routing models show options north and south around Mallorca. The low-pressure system could deliver a punishing upwind grind or flip into fast downwind running.
Brit Sam Goodchild of Biotherm talks about Leg 3.
Early points on the board
By evening, Biotherm had extended their perfect record by securing two points through the Cabo de Palos scoring gate. Paprec Arkéa followed in second to claim a point. These bonus points could prove critical in the overall standings, where Biotherm has a flawless scorecard and Paprec Arkéa sits second.
Behind them, Holcim-PRB and Allagrande Mapei Racing were battling hard, while Team Malizia took an early offshore flyer, gambling on a southern route.
New faces and returning leaders
Meilhat has refreshed his crew for this leg, bringing in Vendée Globe sailor Benjamin Ferré. “We need some refreshment – some new energy – and Benjamin will bring something new and different,” he said.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Team Malizia welcomed back Boris Herrmann after his break in Leg 2. Herrmann warned of “massive uncertainty” and the tactical puzzle of racing past Mallorca.
Boris Herrmann, Skipper of Team Malizia comments on this leg
Mediterranean instincts
For Italian skipper Ambrogio Beccaria of Allagrande Mapei Racing, sailing here is personal. “I love Mediterranean sailing, I was born here and it is what made me love the sea,” he said. “But sometimes it is a difficult relationship and it is hard to understand what she wants.”
It’s a sentiment echoed across the fleet. The Mediterranean may lack the endless fetch of the Atlantic, but its shifting breezes, headlands, and compressed systems make for a race that rewards instinct as much as strategy.
What lies ahead
The course takes the fleet past the Balearics, around Corsica’s Giraglia rock, and on to the Côte d’Azur. The leaders are expected into Nice around 29 August, but with the forecast this uncertain, few are making predictions.
For now, the boats tack into the sunset off the Spanish coast, crews braced for a first night of hard upwind sailing – and the surprises that lie beyond.
