A very equal end in Stage 2 is balanced in the general leadership in both IMOCA 60 and VO65

The second stage of The Ocean Race Europe ended in Alicante on Wednesday morning with a very similar outcome that was the culmination of three days of navigation for the 12 international crews since they left Cascais last Sunday afternoon.

The second and penultimate stage of the first edition of the return to Europe, which will end in Genoa on June 19, proved to be a remarkable challenge for the professional teams, who have faced a wide range of conditions along the 700 miles of the tour that ended in Alicante, the host city of The Ocean Race and the port of departure from the return to the world that will come out in October 2022.

The first VO65 to arrive was the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team of Portugal, which managed to be imposed after a long battle with the Dutch AkzoNobel Ocean Racing, which haunted him persistently since the fleet entered the Mediterranean on Monday.

Before their last spring in a race, both ships suffered tremendously in the last miles to Alicante under the cover of darkness and in a flat sea like a mirror. The Portuguese ship crossed the line just before dawn, at 05: 36 local time, half an hour ahead of the Dutch team.

The result of the second stage makes both teams head the overall classification of VO65. Both have 11 points, but the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team has the first place because the rules of untying reward the most recent result.

The third place on the podium in the general is for the Sailing Poland, which completed a large rallying in the last miles by the marking made among them the Viva Mexico of Erik Brockmann and the Team Childhood I (NED) of Simeon Testipont, overcoming both.

Immediately behind them he crossed the line Viva México, in which there are two crew members who lived the stage in a very special way: the most famous Chuny Bermudez de Castro and his son Carlos, who debuted in an ocean competition. The boy, a laser navigator and 420 16-year-old, ended up enchanted the experience. "It has been very fun, in the strait with 35 knots a little hard, but accompanied by my father, Jaime (Arbons) and the others everything has gone very well. My father always helps me a lot, I've finally managed to live all the experiences he's been telling me and it's cool. I was always on the plane to see him and now it's been my turn to go with him on the boat," Carlos said with a smile on his face.

In the IMOCA fleet, the French LinkedOut of Thomas Ruyant successfully defended his leadership in the last-minute push of a trio composed of Robert Stanjek's Offshore Team (GER), the 11th Hour Racing Team by Charlie Enright (USA) and Louis Burton's Bureau Vallée.

The results of the second stage have created a three-band tie in IMOCA 60, with LinkedOut, Offshore Team Germany and 11th Hour Racing Team, occupying the respective podium positions in stage 2, all tied in nine points each.

Results of Stage 2

VO65
1.Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team (POR) - 7 points
2.AkzoNobel Ocean Racing (NED) - 6 points
3.Sailing Poland (POL) - 5 points
4.Viva Mexico (MEX) - 4 points
5.Team Childhood I (NED) - 3 points
6.The Austrian Ocean Race Project (AUS) - 2 points
7.Ambersail-2 (LTU) - 1 point

* * The Regatas Committee is reviewing a possible violation of Viva México in the TSS (traffic separation scheme), which could affect its score at Stage Two.

IMOCA 60
1.LinkedOut (FRA) - 5 points
2.Offshore Team Germany (GER) - 4 points
3.11th Hour Racing Team (USA) - 3 points
4.Bureau Vallée (FRA) - 2 points
5.CORUM L'Épargne (FRA) - 1 point

General classification after two stages

IMOCA 60
1.LinkedOut (FRA) - 9 points
2.Offshore Team Germany (GER) - 9 points
3.11th Hour Racing Team (USA) - 9 points
4.CORUM L'Épargne (FRA) - 6 points
5.Bureau Vallée (FRA) - 3 points

VO65
1.Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team (POR) - 11 points
2.AkzoNobel Ocean Racing (NED) - 11 points
3.Sailing Team Poland (POL) - 10 points
4.The Austrian Ocean Race Project (AUS) - 9 points
6.Team Childhood I (POL) - 8 points
7.Ambersail-2 (LTU) - 7 points
8.Viva Mexico (MEX) - 6 points

2021 / 06 / 08: The Ocean Race Europe fleet half-day from its entry into Alicante

The Mediterranean pacifies navigation, although the struggle for leadership is still intense on the way to Alicante

The weather conditions experienced by the 12 international professional crews competing in The Ocean Race Europe have been considerably moderate after the fierce lifting winds against which the entire fleet had to be fenced through the Strait of Gibraltar.

However, despite the fact that the wind in the Mediterranean is much slower and the sea is more flat, the high intensity of the races has not decreased while the fleet, even, is approaching the end of the second stage in Alicante.

The crew of the IMOCA 60 Bureau Vallée (FRA) of Louis Burton had a complicated moment when they passed the Cape Espartel lighthouse, near Tangier, on their way to the strait. One of his bow candles, the J2, suddenly exploded and, in the chaos that followed, the major candle was damaged, and the crew took a long time to get the ship back to the regatta mode.

Meanwhile, the crew of the IMOCA 60 11th Hour Racing Team continues to make impressive progress in their search to reach the fleet since it resumed the departure several hours after the rest, due to damage to its port fire produced in a collision with a boat's anchor chain.

Yesterday they approached 35 miles of the fleet in the approach to the Strait of Gibraltar. Today, after doing a good job in the strait, the team managed to overcome the Offshore Team Germany, which goes without foils, and is located in the fourth place, 21 miles from the leader.

In front of the VO65 class there is a family scene, with the two teams leading most of the first stage from Lorient (France) to Cascais (Portugal), the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team (POR) and the AkzoNobel Ocean Racing (NED) fighting again for the lead.

Last time: information about the fleet at 22: 00 Spanish time

With a little more than 100 miles to reach Alicante, only 22 miles separate the seven VO65, and there are only 31 miles between the first and the fifth in the IMOCA 60, which increases the prospect of a very equal ending at the end of the stage, a repetition of what was seen at the end of the first stage in Cascais... current weather estimates suggest that leaders could reach Alicante at 0700 UTC / 0900 CEST on Wednesday, June 9.

2021 / 06 / 08: The Ocean Race Europe... the mother who was born on the rise!

The Ocean Race Europe crews fight a fierce uprising in Gibraltar on their route to the Mediterranean

One day after leaving Cascais, in the second stage of The Ocean Race Europe, the fleet of 12 ships from the race has been faced with strong fading winds in the Strait of Gibraltar.

As planned, the strong rising winds, with more than 40 knots of raches, generated a brutal girdle for the ships of The Ocean Race Europe in the passage through the Strait of Gibraltar, which took them about three hours of intense navigation.

The five IMOCA crews and the seven VO65 crews had enjoyed in the first part of the stage of fairly fast wind conditions on their way south along the Portuguese coast to the Cape of San Vicente, before turning south-east during the night, and later began to feel the effects of the rise flowing from the Mediterranean in the Gulf of Cadiz.

The Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team (POR), patronized by French Yoann Richomme and with Willy Altadill on board, was much of the initial downfall in front of VO65 during the first night at sea in the second stage. Richomme's international crew went down to sail about 40 miles from the Moroccan coast, where they gave way to the Sailing Poland, in which the canary Simbad Quiroga sailed.

Since they left Cascais in the second stage, two French teams, Thomas Ruyant's LinkedOut and Louis Burton's Bureau Vallée, were immersed in a fascinating set-up in front of the IMOCA 60 class.

Information at 22: 15

The distance between the two was minimal until, when they turned north near the coast of Morocco, a problem on board the Bureau Vallée left them behind the Offshore Team Germany (GER) of Robert Stanjek and the CORUM L'Épargne (FRA) of Nicolas Troussel.

Led by the Sailing Poland, most of the VO65 crews chose the choice of the south, but two of them, first the Viva Mexico (MEX) of Erik Brockmann and with 5 Spaniards on board and then the AkzoNobel Ocean Racing (NED), went north in the hope of finding a softer navigation.

In the IMOCA, the crews of the LinkedOut and the Offshore Team Germany were closely monitored along the southern route, while the regatists of CORUM L'Épargne, third parties, proved their luck on the northern route.

On leaving the Strait of Gibraltar, forward with the Polish VO65 team, the crew of the LinkedOut led the IMOCA 60 and had established a good 10-mile advantage over the CORUM L'Épargne and the Offshore Team Germany in second and third place respectively.

The conditions for the Ocean Race Europe fleet are expected to be moderate as they enter the Mediterranean. With just under 300 miles ahead in this second stage, the fleet is expected to reach Alicante on Wednesday, June 9, although the arrival could be delayed if the wind conditions are very low.

2021 / 06 / 06: The Ocean Race Europe leaves Cascais, heading for Alicante

In the Strait the fleet can find winds of 40 knots

The second stage of The Ocean Race Europe has come from Cascais, where the 12 crews representing nine countries participating in the event compete in a stage of about four days that will take you to Alicante.

The seven VO65 monotypes and the five IMOCA 60 with fils that make up the Ocean Race Europe fleet sailed from Cascais at 13: 00 local time and have ahead of them about 700 miles in this second stage... according to the latest weather models, the teams are expected to complete the second stage in four days, so they are expected to reach Alicante on Thursday, June 9.

Information at 7.45 p.m.