On the eve of the departure of the new stage with Destiny Nice the French boat leads the ranking, paprec-arkea team and Malizia team chase
The end of The Ocean Race Europe is not close, the boats of the marathon on the European seas are expected in Boka Bay (Montenegro) in mid -September and the final test will take place on 20. But in the light of the first two stages, it will be a great company to put Biotherm to the stern, the French boat leading the ranking with 25 points, the result of two victories and two passages in the head of the fleet on the three expected in the so -called Scoring. Gate ‘, almost an en plein, thanks to a second stage from Porstmouth (England) to Cartagena (Spain) where the French team, led by Paul Meilhat – fifth in the last Vendee Globe – managed to establish itself with a perfect ending in the light winds of the Mediterranean. Until that moment, Paprec-Arkea team, led by the transalpine Yoann Richomme, had fought well and after the ‘Fly by’ of Mathosinos, Portugal, he had managed to put behind 22 Biotherm miles, at the passage of Gibraltale, characterized by strong wind. But in the ascent to Cartagena, the very little wind was fatal to Papretc-Arkea which ended in third place the stage, behind the Biotherm winner and the second team Holcim-Prb, the pink of the Imoca 60 fleet at the start because there are three women on board, starting from the Dutch skipper Rosalin Kuiper.
The second stage of The Ocean Race Europe marked the return to the water of Allagrande Mapei, forced to retire in the first stage for a collision immediately after the departure. The team led by Ambrogio Beccaria – arrived only a few hours before the street from Portsmouth – crossed the finish line in fourth position, at the end of a not easy regatta, between ups and downs: at the very short stop in Portugal was fifth in the standings with a hundred miles of disadvantage from the best. In the end, he earned a position. “The best thing was the battle in the Mediterranean for the fourth place with Malizia, which was slowed down for having hooked a fishing network – commented Beccaria – is however an immense joy, thinking about what happened to us. We thought about a certain point that it was over and it would have been terrible to start our project not only for The Ocean Race Europe but for the Vendèe Globe ». On the eve of today’s departure of the new stage with Destiny Nice, Allagrande Mapei is sixth with 7 points: behind there is only Amala team. To chase Biotherm, there are instead Paprec-Arkea teams and Malizia team that Francesca Clapcich has the Italian crew. It is an entirely Mediterranean fraction, in a week with a not easy and irregular weather, according to experts. The first arrivals are awaited for Friday 29.