The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026 Day 2
by The Ocean Race Atlantic 3 Sep 14:56 BST
3 September 2026
Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia First Across the Line as The Ocean Race Atlantic Begins © Gauthier Lebec / Team Malizia
The day after a hard-fought start in demanding conditions, the six crews in The Ocean Race Atlantic are now battling through light winds in search of the fastest route.
Although the fleet remains within roughly 30 nautical miles of one another, Team Malizia is setting the tempo. Leading from the opening hours and fastest in the first Super Sprint, Boris Herrmann's team has taken the initiative. But there is still a long way to go.
It is almost as if the weather, with all its early-autumn unpredictability, had decided to give the competitors no respite. First came the low, dark skies over New York as the sailors left Brooklyn the day before yesterday. Then came the long journey out to the start line, located offshore - 150 nautical miles off the East Coast - in very light winds, forcing the organisers to postpone the start until 10:00 a.m. local time.
Team Malizia gets off to a flying start
"It's a bit strange to watch an offshore start," said Oliver Heer (Embrace the Challenge) with a smile.
But racing quickly took over in a slightly choppy sea, with waves of around 0.8 metres and a 17-18-knot north-easterly wind. The boats made a flying start towards the south-east, with every crew fully focused.
"We know that small gains can make a big difference over the coming days," admitted Sarah Stone (United by the Ocean).
"We're simply trying to go fast," added Francesca Clapcich (11th Hour Racing).
"You have to be well positioned and quick — but that's what every sailor wants," Boris Herrmann joked.
So far, however, it is his crew, Team Malizia, that has done this best. The team built around Boris, alongside Cole Brauer, Justine Mettraux and Julien Villion, took the lead within the opening miles and has been out in front ever since.
They also won the first Super Sprint — essentially a race within the race, rewarding the fastest team over a 20-minute period. Team Malizia (6 points) finished ahead of the other brand-new boat, DMG Mori Sailing Team (5 points), and Embrace the Challenge (4 points).
A major innovation in this race, the Super Sprints take place every day and can be followed live during the Onboard Live broadcasts, from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m CEST.
The importance of getting into the right position
Boris and his crew are showing an early confirmation of the potential of their new boat. Malizia 4, designed by naval architect Antoine Koch and the Finot-Conq design office, was launched only in July and is competing in its first official race.
On board Malizia, and elsewhere in the fleet, everyone is focused on one thing: figuring out how best to connect with the low-pressure system moving eastwards. This system could propel the boats for much of the crossing, making positioning absolutely crucial.
To achieve this, the entire fleet has headed north and is currently making its way through an area of extremely light winds.
"The challenge was to find the right angle without getting stuck," Boris explained yesterday.
Embrace the Challenge was the first boat to gybe north.
"Maybe we took that option too early compared with the others, which separated us from the rest of the fleet," crew member Lincoln Dews explained this morning.
The fleet is expected to escape this patch of light wind and gradually build speed. Watch this space!
This edition of The Ocean Race Atlantic is the most accessible ever, with live connections to the fleet each day for the OnBoard Live Show at 1700 CEST / 1500 UTC via www.theoceanrace.com and youtube @theoceanrace along with international broadcasters. Learn more here.