News
13 AUG 2025: Leg Kiel – Portsmouth

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The competitors are expected this Thursday in Portsmouth, at the end of this first leg of The Ocean Race Europe. Before that, they must contend with another zone of strong wind, currents that test the nerves, and numerous tacks despite the fatigue setting in.

In the 8:00 a.m. ranking, Biotherm maintains its lead, 18 miles ahead of Paprec Arkéa (2nd) and 27 miles ahead of Team Malizia (3rd). Paul Meilhat, Yoann Richomme and Will Harris speak about this final — not so straight — stretch.

They have the voices of those who have already fought a fierce battle… and who know another awaits. On Wednesday morning, after 2 days and 16 hours of racing from Kiel (Germany), the skippers are well aware that everything remains to be done over the 130 miles (240 km) still separating them from Portsmouth (England), where they are expected Thursday morning. “The whole course along the English coast will give us a hard time; it can be very unpredictable,” says Britain’s Will Harris (Team Malizia).

"Dream conditions"

Yesterday, the five crews first had to cross a ridge, a windless zone at the crest of the high-pressure system where fortunes varied. While Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) was pleased “to have crossed it faster than expected,” Will Harris admits that Team Malizia “lost much more time there than we thought we would. It felt like we were stuck, it was frustrating.” Especially as Team Malizia, which had closed to within 2.5 miles of Paprec Arkéa, saw the gap widen again (9 miles this morning).

Meanwhile, leader Biotherm was the first to escape the ridge. “We enjoyed dream conditions right after, with an east-southeast wind that allowed us to make rapid progress towards the English coast,” says Paul Meilhat. The skipper is all the more satisfied as they managed to slightly increase their lead over their two direct rivals. “The further away they are, the better, especially with what lies ahead.”

“We’re going to fight to make progress all day!”

Because the “dream conditions” didn’t last. Early in the evening, the crews once again had to cross a calm zone in which they battled all night. “Another factor that complicates things is the current,” says Paul Meilhat. “During the night, we even ended up going backwards!” Biotherm accelerated slightly this morning as they emerged on a beat from this transition zone.

The rest of the leg promises to be complex for the whole fleet, which also includes Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive (48 miles back) and Team AMAALA (76 miles back). “We shouldn’t have wind for much of the day,” says Yoann Richomme. “We have to try to find a way through the south, but it won’t be easy with the current, the sandbanks and the restricted zones (TSS). We’re going to fight to make progress all day!”

The assessment is shared by Will Harris: “There are a lot of obstacles ahead, especially as the tide is very strong, which makes navigation even trickier.” And the British skipper reminds us “that once in the Dover Strait, it’s not going to get any better!” In short, the game now is to weave between the English coast and the shipping lane. “We’ll be tacking all day, playing ping-pong between the two,” explains Paul Meilhat. “We won’t have more than half an hour without a manoeuvre until the end of the race!” Despite the repeated efforts and mounting fatigue, everyone is ready to give their all until the finish tomorrow morning.

Leg 1 of The Ocean Race Europe 2025 is set for “carnage” in its closing act, with crews facing a sleepless night of repeated manoeuvres as they beat upwind to the finish.

The opening days of the Ocean Race Europe 2025 have played out in clearly defined chapters. From the smash-and-grab coastal navigation out of Kiel, through the fast, steady reach across the North Sea, each phase has demanded a different skillset. Now, with less than 100 miles to run, the endgame promises to be the most gruelling yet: light winds, narrow lanes, and relentless manoeuvres all the way to the finish.

Yesterday brought the latest turning point – a high-pressure ridge where the fleet’s fortunes split. Forecasts had suggested slowdowns here, but so far the leaders have managed to find more breeze than expected. “We enjoyed dream conditions right after [the last ridge], with an east-southeast wind that allowed us to make rapid progress,” said Biotherm’s Paul Meilhat, still holding the lead, while Yoann Richomme of Paprec Arkéa, in second place, was “pleased to have crossed [the ridge] faster than expected.”

Those behind paid a heavier price. “We lost much more time there than we thought we would. It felt like we were stuck, it was frustrating,” admitted Will Harris, whose Team Malizia in third saw their 2.5-mile gap widen to 10. At the back, Team Amaala suffered the most, averaging just 3 knots this morning as the front-runners slipped away.

“We’re trying to make progress as best we can,” said Alan Roura, skipper of Team Amaala. “We’ve got the current against us and it’s not easy. We’ve caught up a bit, but not enough to play with our Canadian friends again. We’re not giving up, but it’s tough because there are only 4-5 knots of wind ahead. So it’s all about having enough punch to get past the current.”

For the final stretch, the focus shifts to the English Channel, where the route squeezes between the coast and exclusion zones. This afternoon, Biotherm was the first to hit a light-wind patch near Dover, where less than five miles separate the coast and the exclusion zone. From there, the route narrows further, just 3.3 miles at its tightest. In steady breeze that would already be a squeeze, but the forecast south-westerly – the one direction the crews didn’t want – means no easy reaching. Instead, they will “ping-pong” from one side to the other, tacking repeatedly to make progress.

“We won’t have more than half an hour without a manoeuvre until the end of the race,” said Meilhat. For the crews, each manoeuvre means moving hundreds of kilos of equipment across the boat, all made even harder tonight under the cover of darkness. Sleep will be broken into five-minute scraps between tacks, if at all.

“Starting late tonight into the morning, it’s going to be carnage, as there’ll be light wind and lots of manoeuvres,” said Jack Bouttell (Biotherm). “When we get towards Dover there’s huge amounts of shipping traffic, from ferries to ships to cargo, so lots of things to watch out for the whole way.”

As of 12:00 UTC, Biotherm remain out front with an 18-mile cushion over Team Paprec Arkéa in second, while Team Malizia sit another 14 miles back in third. Be Water Positive are 70 miles off the lead, with Team Amaala 96 miles back.

If Biotherm can keep up the pace and defend their lead through this punishing final section, they are on track to cross the finish line in Portsmouth in the early hours of tomorrow. But the fight will last all night, and with the wind shifts ahead expected to compress and stretch the fleet, the final miles of Leg 1 could still yet decide the podium.

As per race rules, the race course may be extended to bring the leading boats to Portsmouth during daylight hours and this remains an option - the ETA is currently early in the day on Thursday (local time in Portsmouth) and this will be updated on www.theoceanrace.com

Meanwhile, the teams involved in a collision shortly after the start – Team Holcim PRB and Allagrande MAPEI Racing – have filed protests against each other. The hearing is scheduled to take place during the Cartagena stopover following Leg 2. Both teams remain in Kiel, and continue to work step by step towards a return, with more news to come from each team as their repairs progress and their plans take shape.