Holcim-PRB, 2nd in The Hague after an exceptional battle with 11th Hour Racing Team
The incredible Leg 6 of The Ocean Race came to a close on the beach in The Hague, Netherlands, today. After dominating the first hours of racing, Holcim-PRB had to bow to the Americans of 11th Hour Racing Team, with whom the battle was the most intense since the start of The Ocean Race.
The incredible Leg 6 of The Ocean Race came to a close on the beach in The Hague, Netherlands, today. After dominating the first hours of racing, Holcim-PRB had to bow to the Americans of 11th Hour Racing Team, with whom the battle was the most intense since the start of The Ocean Race.
After passing Kiel, the rest of the race was all 'elastic'. They're gone, we're back.... Gone/back…. Gone/back... By the north-eastern tip of Denmark, we were 4.2 miles back and had really dug in on the others behind. Unfortunately, they went back to the front. It went on like that all the way down.
As he stepped ashore, welcomed by the entire shore crew, the young skipper of Holcim-PRB wore a shy smile that could hardly mask his frustration... Only 12 minutes separated 11th Hour Racing Team from Holcim-PRB at the finish line. Finishing ahead of the Americans would have given the Swiss monohull the best possible option for overall victory. Charlie Enright was just one point ahead Holcim-PRB at the start in Aarhus. He now has a two-point lead... The game is tightening up. With just one leg to go, victory is far from guaranteed for Holcim-PRB.
However, Yoann Richomme, Martin Le Pape and Abby Ehler, who were with Benjamin Schwartz on this Leg 6, want above all to remember the success of finishing so close to one of the most seasoned crews on this round-the-world race.
We're really happy to finish behind 11th Hour Racing Team, because they're so precise. On our side, we had a few small lapses which certainly cost us the victory. It's hard for me to tell what we missed, as I don't know enough about the boat. In any case, when it came to trimming, we did everything and tried everything! Inevitably, they were less hesitant than us about settings and maneuvers. But second place is good.
Less in control of their boat and slower in the final hours of the race, probably due to a rope caught in their keel, the Holcim-PRB sailors gave their all until the end to make up for their lack of knowledge of the monohull. They had only sailed together for a few hours in Aarhus before setting off on this extremely complex race with coastal navigation and numerous exclusion zones to manage.
We had a good sail. We're missing a few details that we could have had if we were more used to sailing together. It was very close! When we crossed in front of 11th Hour Racing Team this morning, I really believed we could do it!
For Abby Ehler, who spent some time at the top of the mast on the approach to The Hague, watching for the slightest puff of wind, second place remains a fine performance.
The whole leg was absolutely crazy. I mean, the fly-by in Kiel was amazing. The amount of boats that escorted us up the river was just amazing. From a sailing point of view, it’s super cool to have done it. And a very tight battle with 11th Hour Racing Team, and then Malizia had the pressure on us at the end. Again, we’re super happy to hold on to this second place. Really unfortunate we could not have got the win. It was looking good at one point, and when we crossed tacks with 11th Hour, just a few miles out of here. It went really good with the crew on board. I mean, we’re missing the knowledge of the old crew. Obviously, you build up an experience, a bank of how to sail the boat. That was apparent in some aspects, where we were struggling on boat speed against the others. I am really super happy, given that we had very little sailing time together, super happy with that.
Now it's time to rest, as the final leg of The Ocean Race is fast approaching. On Thursday, the fleet will set off for the conclusion of the round-the-world race. Heading for Genoa, Italy. To ensure victory, the crew of Holcim-PRB will have no choice but to attack, according to Martin Le Pape, who will not be able to come aboard for this Leg 7.
A lot can happen on the next leg. There's going to be a lot of sailing in the Mediterranean, and there's going to be some rough weather. It's still possible! The crew has the right cards in hand. The core crew is still there. And there's also the contribution of the shore crew. The atmosphere is great, and everyone respects each other. There's a great team spirit, even if everyone's tired after this round-the-world trip. Everyone wants to do well for the others, and maybe that's what's going to bring us victory.
Before the final kick-off, the Holcim-PRB crew will take part in the In-Port Race in The Hague on Tuesday afternoon.
