‘Something that is very important’ – Holcim-PRB skipper Kevin Escoffier on helping troubled rivals during The Ocean Race

Holcim-PRB skipper Kevin Escoffier has spoken about camaraderie between rival sailors and sportsmanship in The Ocean Race, revealing that they even help each other out despite being in direct competition.

Escoffier’s team currently lead the third leg of this year’s race but the journey from Cape Town to Itajai in Brazil has not been without drama on the water.

Despite watching the competition struggle, Escoffier told the media that he was pleased to see Malizia, skippered by Boris Herrmann, overcome their issues.

“No, no, I’m definitely not surprised,” said Escoffier discussing the successful mast repair. “They also had to change due to the weather forecast to do this repair without losing a lot due to the current. So no, I’m not surprised about that.

“I had Boris by messages, and I’m very happy that Boris and the crew are able to stay in the race.”

With all the carnage on the seas, Escoffier explained that the nature of the sport, and the often treacherous conditions he and fellow sailors find themselves in, means that it is not unusual to offer help to one another.

“We had all materials needed in order to be able to repair the bottom of the hull of our boat,” he said. “We did not need these materials and they were still available, so we gave them to GUYOT in order for them to be able to repair as quickly as possible. Same thing for Malizia.

“I’ve been discussing with Boris the way to repair the mast.

“We all know that at one point of our sailing life, we will need another sailor to help us. It’s something that is very important that you can know that you can trust the people.”

Despite moving to reiterate that the boats and sailors remain competitive, Escoffier acknowledged the relationships formed are unavoidable and there is no desire to see misfortune befall other boats.

“I’ve got very good friends on each boat of this race,” he added. “There’s Nicolas Lunven of Malizia, I know Boris very well, there’s Anthony Marchand, Paul Meilhat and Sam Davis on Biothem, Jack Bouttell (11th Hour Racing Team), I’ve sailed with him on previous Ocean Races. Benjamin Dutreux (GUYOT)…

“It’s a very small world. And yeah, it’s not only about racing, but when we’re underwater I can tell you that there are no friends, it’s only about racing.

“But if someone has an issue, nobody is ever happy for a mechanical issue from another boat.”

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