Please select your home edition
Edition
Haven Knox-Johnston Commercial

Hugo Boss wins the IMOCA Ocean Masters New York to Barcelona Race

by Leslie Greenhalgh 15 Jun 2014 21:35 BST 15 June 2014

Crowds turned out of Las Ramblas and into Placa Portal de la Pau this evening to welcome Pepe Ribes and Ryan Breymaier, Hugo Boss, home as winners of the inaugural IMOCA Ocean Masters New York to Barcelona Race.

The Spanish-American duo won the race in a time of 14 days 2 hours 44 minutes and 30 seconds. However looking at how tired they were and the relentless events that unfolded for them over the last fortnight, one might have got the impression they had been at sea racing non-stop for a month or more.

"It has been hard work, because we have been fixing a lot of things, rather than just racing," admitted Ribes. "The less time you have to race, the more stressful it is."

Breymaier agreed: "When you push a machine, the machine doesn't always like it. We didn't have any major problems, there wasn't a lot that stopped us - some computer system problems and we destroyed the scoop for the water ballast system, which affected our speed."

And the drama occurred from start until the finish. One of the most heart stopping moments came on Hugo Boss' final day at sea, as she was approaching Barcelona, when they got struck down, literally, by a monster gust of wind.

As Ribes described it: "Today was the first time that I have seen the mast under water on an IMOCA 60! There came a puff which we thought was just rain. But it wasn't, it was 50 knots and the boat was full ballast and full keel canted and it just crash tacked. The mast was underwater for three minutes. At that moment we were charging the batteries. The engine started to burn... We might have been dead still with no engine and no battery, nothing, so we were very lucky."

And that was just one of their bad days.

Equally hard were the severe conditions they experienced blasting their way through the Strait of Gibraltar. "The Strait is always difficult, because you have to make a huge effort for 10 miles and you know that on the other side there's only 10 knots," Ribes continued. "This boat in 45 knots is difficult to tack, it is difficult to manage and you come from 13 days when you've already had the pressure on and you are very tired. Then you have another day when you cannot sleep for a whole day."

Hugo Boss picked up the winner's baton after Safran was forced to retire when her skipper Marc Guillemot was injured on the approach to the Strait.

"They sailed brilliantly across the Atlantic," Ribes admitted of his wily French opponent. "I don't know what weather information they were getting, but they went into places that for me would have been impossible to go into. It is a shame Marc hurt himself because they were doing so well. But we were ready for the fight as well."

Breymaier agreed pointing out that Guillemot has spent the last eight years sailing Safran while he and Ribes had only spent two weeks sailing on board and never before on their own prior to the start of the race in New York. And this was after all the work they had put into getting their boat to the start line after her dismasted en route to the USA. Given all this, Breymaier said, they would have been very pleased with their result even if they had finished second.

Additionally for the last 10 days Hugo Boss has had Guillermo Altadill and José Muñoz aboard Team Neutrogena breathing down their neck. However Ribes said that they had ignored them. "I didn't look behind to see what he was doing. I said to Ryan 'we can win it, but if Guillermo goes to the right we cannot go to the right, we need to stick to our plan as we did until here. So we weren't covering him."

For Breymaier the IMOCA Ocean Masters New York to Barcelona Race has been another stepping stone towards his own American IMOCA campaign with the goal of competing in the Ocean Masters World Championship and the 2016 Vendee Globe.

"The Ocean Masters is great. This has been a very well run event. This event is definitely a step in the right direction. The more times that the IMOCA class goes to places like New York City, the more interest there'll be, the bigger it will get and it will attract better sponsors who will come to all the events and will make a real circuit out of it."

As Breymaier was enjoying being reunited with his wife Nicola and their family, while the same was true of Ribes. "What do I want to do tomorrow? I want to take my son Pepe Junior to school in the morning." To which he received another round of applause.

www.imocaoceanmasters.com

Related Articles

Rolex Fastnet Race at 100 – the making of a giant
At present 469 yachts have entered this special edition - a far cry from its humble origins in 1925 One month remains until the 26 July start of the Rolex Fastnet Race, this year celebrating both its centenary as well as that of the club it spawned: the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Posted on 27 Jun
Crew dynamics will be decisive in Course des Caps
Just two days to go before the start of the first race of the eagerly-awaited 2025 IMOCA season With just two days to go before the start of the first race of the eagerly-awaited 2025 IMOCA season, all eyes are on Boulogne-Sur-Mer as 11 crews prepare to race around the British Isles in the Course des Caps-Boulogne sur Mer-Banque Populaire du Nord. Posted on 27 Jun
Francesca Clapcich to co-skipper Team Malizia
In the Course des Caps round Britain & Ireland Race Italian/American offshore sailor Francesca Clapcich will join Malizia-Seaexplorer as co-skipper for the inaugural edition of the Course des Caps-Boulogne sur Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord. Posted on 27 Jun
Team Be Water Positive The Ocean Race Europe crew
Scott Shawyer will skipper Team Be Water Positive in the fully crewed offshore challenge this summer Canada Ocean Racing - Team Be Water Positive today announces its 2025 The Ocean Race Europe crew led by Canadian skipper Scott Shawyer and featuring five other accomplished names in offshore sailing. Posted on 27 Jun
Can a maxi achieve the Rolex Fastnet Race triple?
The fight to claim the prestigious monohull line honours prize is lining up to be a tough one The fight to claim the prestigious monohull line honours prize in the centenary edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Rolex Fastnet Race is lining up to be a tough one between the world's fastest 100ft maxi yachts. Posted on 25 Jun
Charlie Dalin forced to cancel his 2025 season
Sam Goodchild and Loïs Berrehar to helm MACIF Santé Prévoyance for the Transat Café L'OR Due to health reasons, Charlie Dalin has been forced to cancel his 2025 season. However, in close consultation with his team, the skipper of the IMOCA MACIF Santé Prévoyance and Macif have decided to maintain the ambitious racing schedule. Posted on 24 Jun
Tom Dolan joins Jérémie Beyou aboard Charal
Set for his debut race in the IMOCA class - the Course des Caps There's a hint of an Irish lilt echoing along the docks of northern France, carrying with it a quiet but unmistakable sense of excitement. Posted on 24 Jun
Prysmian & Giancarlo Pedote conclude collaboration
Closing this chapter with gratitude, ready to face new challenges After 18 years of successful collaboration, Prysmian has decided to end our partnership. I would like to warmly thank all the people at Prysmian with whom I have had the privilege of working. Posted on 24 Jun
Top quality fleet ready for Course des Caps
2025 IMOCA Globe Series begins this weekend The Course des Caps-Boulogne sur Mer-Banque Populaire du Nord starts from Boulogne-sur-Mer in the Pas-de-Calais on June 29th and circumnavigates the British Isles via the northern tip of the Shetland Islands. Posted on 20 Jun
Alan Roura to compete in The Ocean Race Europe
He has partnered with AMAALA and has 3 months to the race start Alan Roura, the Swiss offshore sailor, has partnered with AMAALA to compete in The Ocean Race Europe, 2025. With less than three months to go before the race start in Kiel, Germany, the team will begin their intensive training when the boat is launched. Posted on 18 Jun