The Ocean Race Europe: Big split in fleet as gap opens to 100nm - Day 3

by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 2 Sep 04:15 BST

A big split has opened up on Leg 4 of The Ocean Race Europe, with a breakaway group of four boats jumping away to a lead of over 100nm after they passed through the notorious Strait of Bonnifacio between Corsica and Sardinia.

The Strait is renowned for challenging navigation conditions, strong winds, unpredictable currents, and numerous shoals and reefs.

Fortunately the seven boat fleet in The Ocean Race Europe had a friendly, if frustrating passsge through the zone in which the French frigate Sémillante was wrecked in 1855, resulting in the loss of 750 souls.

The Leg 4 started on Sunday from Nice, France and is now into the third day of racing, having started in Kiel, Germany in early August.

Team Holcim PRB appears to be well-recovered from their startline collision on the first day of the five leg race. Skippered by on this leg by Nico Lunven, the Swiss entry was first to get through the Bonnifacio Strait and head into the Tyrrhenian Sea (part of the Mediterranean Sea located off the western coast of Italy and bounded by the Italian Peninsula to the east, the islands of Corsica and Sardinia to the west, and Sicily to the south).

There they got a sniff of the predicted 15kt SE breeze and took off on a beam reach at speeds of 18kts to get well away from the coast of Corsica. Holcim PRB was followed through the Strait by Biotherm (Paul Meilhat, FRA), Paprec Arkea (Youann Richomme, FRA) and Allagrande Mapei (Ambrogio Beccaria and Thomas Ruyant, ITA), with just 9.4nm covering the front group. All four passed between the uninhabited islands of Budelli and Spargi in the Maddalena Archipelago which separates Corsica and Sardinia.

The back three led by Malizia (Boris Hermann, GER) and followed by Be Water Positive (Scott Shawyer, CAN) and Amaala (Alan Roura, SUI/KSA) struggled to escape a path of light winds off the southern coast of Corsica. The back markers were in damage control, opting to sail close to fresher breeze on the Corsican coast. Maliza was the worst hit dropping down to a speed of just 5kts while the race leaders hit speeds of 13-17kts, and Be Water Positive and Amaala came through at 7-11kts as they weaved between Budelli and Spargi, and exited about five hours after the Nico Lunven skippered, Holcim PRB had passed through, with the then race leader sailing at 23kts.

From there they headed towards Montecristo Island in the Tuscan Archipelago, between Italy and Corsica. The three leaders opted to follow Holcim PRB which sailed between Monecristo and the Italian coast, while Paprec Arkea split and took a more westerly route, and then gybed to pass the island of Elba. Biotherm took the opposite approach passing to the east of Elbe and passing through the Strait of Piombino — a narrow stretch of sea that separates the eastern coast of Elba Island from the Tuscan mainland, near the city of Piombino.

At this point the lead group had worked out to a lead of over 100nm over the three backmarkers. Although the lead group was on different courses and well separated laterally, with Biotherm hugging the Italian coast, but still in third place almost 4nm behind Holcim PRB, as they passed Capraia, a rugged, volcanic island in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea.

When Biotherm crossed back, they passed astern of the other three, with Allagrande Mapei now in the lead and just 5nm covering the lead group, with the backmarkers 115-130nm astern. The new leader, Allagrande Mapei clung to the Italian coast with Biotherm, Holcim PRB and Paprec Arkea in pursuit as they played out the final stanzas of the 600nm course and with a dog leg across the course before heading to the finish in Genoa.

The Predictwind course projections show all four of the lead group following the same weather routing, with Allegrande Mapei and Biotherm just 1.2nm apart making less than 5kts in 7kts of breeze from the SW. A fresher breeze is forecast to approach the leaders, however it could also pass them by.

Leg 4 is expected to finish later today, Tuesday in Genova, Italy.

As of 0100hrs UTC on September 2, and with 180nm to the finish off Genoa, the placings were:

1. Allegrande Mapei
2. Biotherm (0.6nm to leader)
3. Holcim-PRB (2.0nm to leader)
4. Paprec Arkea (15.6nm to leader)
5. Malizia (102.4nm to leader)
6. Be Water Positive (106.4nm to leader)
7. Amaala (119.2nm to leader)

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