What drama at the start of the final leg of the Ocean Race. The yachts of Guyot environnement – Team Europe and 11th Hour Racing collided on the circuit in front of The Hague. Whether both ships can continue the stage is open.
The accident happened about 20 minutes after the start on Thursday at one of the turning points of the 2.4 nautical mile circuit. Guyot skipper Benjamin Dutreux had apparently overlooked the US boat crossing in front of him. A clear mistake by the Guyot yacht, which should have given way.
The Guyot drilled into the stern of the Malama with the bowsprit, there is now a huge hole there, and there was also damage inside the yacht. The big question is whether the boat can be patched up to withstand the rigors of the high seas and allow the stage to be resumed.
The race director announced in the evening that all crew members were uninjured. However, there is “considerable damage to both boats”.
Tears aboard the 11th Hour
Malizia, who was fourth at the time, almost couldn’t avoid the two boats in front of them. “We had a lot of stress and had to let go completely,” said Rosalin Kuiper on “Eurosport” before she – visibly shocked – was presented with the full extent of the collision on a cell phone.
Skipper Charlie Enright and his 11th Hour crew were stunned and let their tears flow freely. Guyot, who was only starting again after a broken mast and missed two stages, was also very depressed. Irony of fate: Guyot received the replacement mast from 11th Hour Racing …
“That’s not the way you would hope for a race start, fortunately nobody was injured,” Boris Hermann said on Twitter and offered “our support with all necessary repair work” with his team Malizia.
Way clear for Holcim – PRB?
The US team had won the last three stages of the Ocean Race and were aiming for overall victory with a two-point lead over Holcim – PRB. However, should 11th Hour Racing be eliminated, Holcim would be the overall winner. Boris Herrmann and the Malizia – Seaexplorer would be second.
The stage to Genoa is not very long at 2,200 nautical miles, but it also has tricky passages with some restricted zones in the English Channel and the narrow Strait of Gibraltar. There is also an extended orca risk zone off Gibraltar, where whale attacks have increased in the past.
The arrival of the Imocas in Genoa is expected on June 25th.
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Sports current | 06/15/2023 | 8:17 p.m