11th Hour Racing Team just clear of Malizia and Biotherm on Leg 4 at The Ocean Race, GUYOT environnement fourth

The three leading teams are just 50 miles apart on the leaderboard at The Ocean Race 2023, with 11th Hour Racing Team at the head of the pack.

Just behind them are Team Malizia and Biotherm, with GUYOT environnement – Team Europe a way back in fourth spot.

The boats are speeding along at an average of between 22 and 24 knots, covering nearly 500 miles in 24-hour runs, assisted by the tradewinds.

Simon Fisher from 11th Hour Racing reflected on the action yesterday, when the boats battled through the doldrums.

“Of course you can get these days of calm that are frustrating, but there is always plenty of action in these squalls with big changes in direction and pressure.”

Team Malizia’s Will Harris added: “It’s really tricky conditions.

“The wind is up and down and we have to trim all the time…you have to stay very focused otherwise the boat kind of jumps and loses control or you end up going very slowly.”

With just the remnants of the doldrums left, the race is speeding up.

“None of the boats really stopped. It was all relatively moderate,” said GUYOT envrionnement – Team Europe co-skipper Robert Stanjek.

“We only had a lapse once when we did two circles under a big cloud. But apart from that, we made good time through the doldrums with six to eight knots of wind,”

Positive conditions should last for the next two days before the wind turns from east-northeast to south and then southwest, according to meteorologists.

The teams will be focusing on the finish soon, anticipated on Wednesday, May 10 in Newport, but conditions may change to overturn expectations.

In Brazil, Team Holcim-PRB Imoca’s ship was lifted onto a cargo ship on Tuesday, departing for the US for repairs.

“It was a big day for the team,” said skipper Kevin Escoffier as he helped to manage the operation.

“We had to work on so many details in order to load our IMOCA on this cargo ship, for it to be as in Newport as early as possible. Let’s say it is 15 days to Newport…so we will have a very short time before the start of Leg 5 to get the replacement mast fitted.”

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