The dry spell was long, the comeback is huge: Boris Herrmann’s team Malizia took the lead on stage two in the Ocean Race. But the tension persists. Now it’s off to the icy Southern Ocean.
Four days ago, the Malizia – Seaexplorer was still more than 200 nautical miles behind in fifth and last place, and there were also problems with the foils. But skipper Will Harris, who is standing in for Hamburger Herrmann, who is missing due to a foot injury, on the way from Cape Verde to Cape Town, proved to be a prophet. “In two days we will have stronger winds. A strong cold front, which suits our boat very well.”
In fact: The Malizia rewarded itself for its persistent western positioning, picked up speed, caught up with the field and on Monday afternoon swept past Holcim, who had been leading until then, to take first place. “It’s so cool! It’s magical considering how far we were behind,” said Rosalin Kuiper of the Netherlands.
Herrmann: “Now it’s getting cold!”
The French-German Guyot Environnement – Team Europe, which had been leading for a long time, was slowed down in a calm field after an unsuccessful attempt to take a shortcut. A burst spinnaker puts additional strain on the team around Berlin skipper Robert Stanjek, who are struggling to catch up 245 nautical miles behind the Malizia.
“Now it’s really going into the Southern Ocean with cold fronts and low-pressure areas. It’s going to be cold! We’ll be sailing to the ice border,” predicted Herrmann, who was waiting for his team in Cape Town, adding: “The provisions have to be rationed. The temperatures might go down to 15 or even ten degrees.” The boats are expected to arrive at the finish on February 11th or 12th.
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sports club | 05.02.2023 | 10:50 p.m
