LAST TIME: Biotherm third in Newport... the first three at one point, in general

Paul Meilhat, the boss and his team, had to face a long wait to reach the goal on Thursday morning to Newport... on an estimated time of arrival by 5: 30 local time, the loose winds that reigned during the night stopped cacsi completely at sunrise, thus the team had to fight very adverse conditions for several hours before crossing the finish line at the end of 8: 04 local time in Newport, 12: 04: 38 UTC, investing in stage 4 a total of 17 days 19 hours 49 minutes and 38 seconds.

The third place of Meilhat and his team leaves them in fourth place in the general race classification, five points behind the Team Malizia and the 11th Hour Racing Team, which are tied to 18 points, while the race leader, Team Holcim-PRB, is 19.

Stage 4 score
1. 11th Hour Racing Team - 5 points
2. Team Malizia - 4
3. Biotherm - 3
4. Guyot environnement-Team Europe - suspended navigation
5. Team Holcim-PRB - withdrawn from the stage - 0

General Classification of The Ocean Race (after Stage 4)
1. Team Holcim-PRB - 19 points
2. 11th Hour Racing Team - 18
3. Team Malizia - 18 (take off solved by the In Port series classification)
4. Biotherm - 13
5. Guyot envrionnement-Team Europe - 2

The 11th Hour Racing Team has won stage 4 of The Ocean Race, leading the fleet to Newport, its hometown, on a spectacular spring afternoon in New England.

The Charlie Enright was radiant when he landed, moments after his team imposed on Team Malizia to cross the finish line and win its first stage... it was not an easy stage... for during the 17 days of climb north from Itajai, the teams had to manage numerous transitions between various weather systems, from the alisian winds of the southern hemisphere through the doldrums and towards the alisians of the North Atlantic.

And in the middle of big storms... and in spite of everything, the 11th Hour Racing Team and Team Malizia exchanged leadership more than a dozen times, before Enright and his team took over the victory on Wednesday afternoon.

Today's results, combined with those of the race general leader, Team Holcim-PRB, who had to withdraw from the stage after losing the mast on the fourth day, make the first three teams in the classification just one point before the exit of the transatlantic crossing on Sunday, May 21.

Paul Meilhat's Biotherm crew is still sailing to Newport, and it still has more than 150 miles left... its arrival is scheduled for Thursday, as the ship is trapped with slower winds.

2023-05-11: The Ocean Race: 11th Hour Racing Team and Team Malizia a for victory

The leaders sail by seeing each other and competing with very soft winds on the last day of Stage 4

Wednesday has dawned with a beautiful morning in Newport... it has been a fresh spring day, with a bright sun and a clear blue sky... unfortunately for the trio that sails towards the finish line next to Fort Adams National Park, the anti-cyclone that cleans the sky also brings loose winds.

Therefore, the 11th Hour Racing Team and Team Malizia are fighting a low-speed tactical battle in the last 80 miles of stage 4, crossing exclusion areas and desperately seeking a more powerful wind.

As they approach the coast and increase the wind, the speed will increase and the two leading ships are expected to reach port at the end of the afternoon (local time EDT) in Newport... the third classified, the Biotherm, is about 120 miles behind and is expected to end about 6 hours after the leaders.

The crew of the Guyot environnement- Team Europe secured the ship and mounted a set of fortune and can now open their way to port.

2023-05-09: The Ocean Race: Guyot environnement-Team Europe disarm... crew safe

The team has sailed in difficult conditions, with hurricane winds and rachas of more than 30 knots

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Guyot environnement-Team Europe has decolorated in the North Atlantic, just over 600 miles east of Newport, Rhode Island... the crew has reported that all crew members are safe and that they work to secure the ship...

The crew of the Guyot Environnement-Team Europe is safe and working in a gardening of respect after thawing in a fierce storm in the North Atlantic on Monday night in the last miles of Stage 4 that leads to the fleet from Itajai to Newport.

At 02: 43 UTC, as the team sailed in fourth place with hurricane winds and big waves, a wave hit the ship and the mast fell. Despite the worsening conditions, the equipment was able to cut the remains of the garden to avoid major damage and to preserve all possible equipment.

The Ocean Race control experts in Alicante are in regular contact with the crew, who have not requested external assistance and are currently assessing the next steps that should be taken next to their ground crew, which could include going to Halifax or being towed by another ship to the United States.

German co-patron Robert Stanjek described the current situation of the crew and the conditions they had before the mast broke in a call with journalists from the ship.

The team's pattern, Benjamin Dutreux, said the team's immediate goal was to take the ship to the ground to properly assess the extent of the damage caused in the incident.

Meanwhile, at the head of the fleet, the 11th Hour Racing Team (USA) and Team Malizia (GER) were the first to get out of what Amory Ross, the veteran reporter on board the 11th Hour Racing Team, called "terrifying" conditions.

With less than 350 miles to reach Newport, the head duo is still equalized, with a separation of approximately 35 miles in the tracker, and the 11th Hour Racing Team of the Charlie Enright pattern hopes to benefit from its knowledge of the area in the approach to the base port of the crew.

Team Malizia's boss, Will Harris, said that the German team crew had also focused on avoiding serious damage during the night, but that they were recovering the speed to pursue their American rival before the goal.

Kevin Escoffier's Swiss Team Holcim-PRB, who had already lost the stick at Stage 4 off the Brazilian coast, is on board a cargo ship on the road to Newport, where the crew plans to brush a new mast in time for the departure of Stage 5 to Aarhus (Denmark) on May 21, a double-punctured stage.

The expected arrival for the 11th Hour Racing Team to Newport is on May 10 between 18: 00 and 22: 00 UTC (14: 00 and 18: 00 local time), followed by Team Malizia two hours later, and the third ranked, Paul Meilhat's Biotherm (FRA), is expected to arrive about five hours later.

2023-05-08: The Ocean Race: extreme hardness of the panorama to Newport

The forecast predicts winds with rachas close to 50 knots as leaders approach their penultimate night at sea at Stage 4

The fleet's head group is already about 600 miles from the line of arrival in front of Newport (Rhode Island), making the crews ready to face a last brutal hours at sea.

A weather front with 40 knots south-west winds is approaching, with rachas up to 50 knots. If these predictions are fulfilled, this will be one of the strongest winds the teams have faced throughout the race.

The 11th Hour Racing Team and Team Malizia are already beginning to feel the impact of this system (at 1400 UTC). To stress is added the influence of the Gulf Current, which is beginning to be seen consistently. Fortunately, the direction of the wind (southwest) is aligned with the current, so the state of the sea is manageable.

For its part, the 11th Hour Racing Team has achieved a 25-mile advantage over Team Malizia before dealing with this weather front... for the back couple, formed by the Biotherm and the Guyot Environment - Team Europe, this system will also be an obstacle.

The Biotherm has given a small stretch to the west in the last 12 hours, sacrificing a little of its advantage over the Guyot environnement, which is now less than 30 miles from its stern, but is in a tactically more difficult position, to the east.

But this last obstacle cannot be completely avoided. It will be 24 hours decisive in the North Atlantic.

The expected arrival in Newport is maintained on Wednesday, May 10. After the passage of this storm, the wind will fade quite quickly, which will mean another slow period, before a moderate path pushes the fleet to the ground.

2023-05-07: The Ocean Race... the focused struggle between 11th Hour Racing Team and Team Malizia

A big difference between weather forecast and reality challenges the IMOCA fleet

A high level of competitiveness marks the duel between the 11th Hour Racing Team by Charlie Enright and the Team Malizia towards the goal... the 11th Hour Racing Team is a few miles away and Malizia is doing everything possible to reach the head.

The expected arrival time for the head duo is Wednesday around 04: 00 local time in Newport (08: 00 UTC). But there is still some uncertainty in foresight and various options available for Malizia and 11th Hour Racing Team, which may vary the time slightly.

This Sunday, the 11th Hour Racing Team turned west, which can be considered a tactical bet to position the best boat for the coming climate, as it means sailing slightly further south, making more miles towards Newport.

When the American ship crossed only a mile ahead of Team Malizia, Harris decided to continue on the same line. The struggle for leadership could not be more flawed. The pressure these crews have to navigate to the maximum potential will not decrease.

About 8 hours behind the leading couple, the Biotherm continues to fight with a soft climate... meanwhile, in the Guyot envrionnement-Team Europe, Seb Simon celebrated his birthday with a candle, a cake and a call home.

2023-05-06: The Ocean Race: a disconcerting meteor makes tactics difficult

A big difference between weather forecast and reality challenges the IMOCA fleet

The IMOCA fleet continues to advance this Saturday towards the Newport (Rhode Island) finish line, but progress is not being easy.

The 11th Hour Racing Team has recovered the lead ahead of Team Malizia and Charlie Enright's team has advanced about 5 miles as they continue to discount the remaining miles to their port of origin, which is still more than four days away.

But the transitions between the weather systems have not been simple or in line with the weather forecast, which has caused a complicated situation... perhaps the equipment that has passed it worst has been the Biotherm.

The Guyot environnement-Team Europe approached the Biotherm on Friday, but now they are going back again. The part looks at the head duo moving towards the winds of the north-west, but the electric blanks and storms should be presented with force today and tomorrow.

The expected arrival for the leaders in Newport begins to be consolidated around May 10. But since the conditions in the water are so different from those in the models, the situation must still be considered with some reservation.

2023-05-06: The Ocean Race battle between Team Malizia and 11th Hour Racing Team

The leaders have moved on taking advantage of a wind role while the Biotherm loses the opportunity...

The Team Malizia and the 11th Hour Racing Team continue to engage in a battle that seems to be intended to extend to the Newport finish line in Rhode Island.

On Friday morning (UTC), both the Malizia first and the 11th Hour Racing Team soon afterwards successfully transfered when the wind rolled south.

The transition immediately favoured the team of Charlie Enright, who obtained at least a theoretical gain in the tracker by sailing a more interior route.

But Will Harris and his malizians retain a modest advantage of just under 10 miles, as the two ships are now heading towards the southeast coast of the United States.

In front of them there are more uncertainties: the wind will change again, this time in front of them, taking them away from the coast; they will begin to enter the Gulf Current, which will lead them to the north-east; and the last 48 hours of the stage promise to be "complicated, with many transitions, which are not yet clear," according to the regatta meteorologist Christian Dumard.

The arrival for the head duo is scheduled for May 10, although the order in which they do so is still not clear.

From behind, the team that has suffered the most in the last few hours has been Paul Meilhat's Biotherm, which began to move left on the tracker and has significantly decreased the speed during Friday morning. The fact that he's been doing an average of just 4 knots of speed caused speculation that they had a problem on board.

In the end it turned out that the team had sailed to a large wind-free area that did not appear in any weather forecast or satellite model.

The team has been fine since the 14: 00 report, but the big slowdown has given the Guyot environment - Team Europe a chance. After being almost 200 miles behind the podium, now (1400 UTC) is only 60 miles behind in a remarkable turn of events.

With the uncertain conditions that are coming, there is much chance that the GUYOT will return to the podium.

2023-05-04: The Ocean Race: Malizia takes over the fleet

Will Harris and his' Malizians' have surpassed the 11th Hour Racing Team as the teams advance at record pace

The German-flag Team Malizia has taken the lead in stage 4 of The Ocean Race. Pattern Will Harris and his crew are sailing north, almost uniting with the 11th Hour Racing Team, to whom they have taken the lead in the last few hours.

The conditions are very favourable to navigate at high speeds; they go through with 15-20 knots of east wind, with a moderate state of the sea, but gradually growing.

Leaders have gone 575 miles in the last 24 hours. Not long ago, this figure would have been a record on The Ocean Race. But today it is about 20 miles short and the increase in the size of the waves probably means that the record of 595.6 nautical miles, set by Team Holcim-PRB in the previous stage, will remain intact.

The leaders will move on to a new phase of the stage in the next 24 hours and, as soon as the wind turns south, they will move on. At that time, they will have to draw the most northern weather systems in their approach to Newport.

While they continue to win north, conditions change rapidly. Life on board is more comfortable as the temperature is falling after the heat and moisture they have had in the equator.

Later, the GUYOT envrionnement - Team Europe still has almost a day of disadvantage and continues with tropical heat... soon a break will come, while they continue to move north at full speed, looking for an opportunity to recover what is now a 300-mile disadvantage.

2023-05-03: The Ocean Race... plays the tropical storms

According to the regatta meteorologist Christian Dumard, all the teams will already sail with the alisian winds of the north-east this afternoon (UTC) and these conditions will last approximately 48 hours, when the wind is expected to turn south and then southwest

This Wednesday the three best teams sail within a 50-mile radius in the classification, with the 11th Hour Racing Team as the leader ahead of Team Malizia and Biotherm. The Guyot environnement - Team Europe has been delayed.

The ships are averaging speeds of about 22-24 knots and are walking almost 500 miles every 24 hours: the navigation in the toilets in their maximum expression.

But yesterday, while the teams were dealing with the last vestiges of the doldrums, the 11th Hour Racing Team sent a fascinating picture of the tropical storms that characterize the area.

In the ship's video, the team begins to prepare for a large wind increase after seeing that the speed in Team Malizia, which sailed in a girly, increased dramatically.

The pattern Charlie Enright watched the sky get dark through the cabin window, announcing the distance to the new wind as Francesca Clapcich prepares the ends to move the candles. As the wind comes, the team makes several adjustments and the speed of the ship increases to more than 30 knots.

At the beginning of next week, teams will be thinking about the final approach to the Newport goal (scheduled for May 10), but the long-term weather forecast seems unstable and complex. There are still several transitions that will create various tactical opportunities.

Meanwhile, back in Brazil, Team Holcim-PRB's IMOCA got on a cargo ship on Tuesday night, which left Rio for the United States on Wednesday morning.

023-05-02: The Ocean Race: Team Malizia, 11th Hour Racing and Biotherm in a handkerchief

The date of May 10, as expected by the end of this fourth stage, is maintained for the moment.

On Monday night, Team Malizia was a leader in front of the 11th Hour Racing Team at the equator crossing, which meant the return of the fleet of The Ocean Race to the northern hemisphere... but the advantage was very fair: just over two minutes separated the two ships from their heads.

Both ships moved with solvency while making the transition, and the impact of very weak doldrums has not been a major obstacle to moving towards the Newport (Rhode Island) goal.

On Tuesday morning, Paul Meilhat's third-ranked Biotherm was approaching eight miles from the leaders, but a slower afternoon has led the team back again and fell about 30 miles behind the leaders.

The Guyot environnement - Team Europe should cross the equator before 1800 UTC... unfortunately for Ben Dutreux's team, it seems that the doldroms will affect them more than the head ships and are quite likely to lose more miles.

The teams that lead the fleet should be heading almost directly north in the next two or three days thanks to the alisian winds of the east... as the weekend approaches, the wind will roll to come from the west and there will be another transition to cross the front... the expected arrival in Newport is maintained by May 10.

2023-05-01: The Ocean Race: Brazil is already in the mirror

The last day has been fast for the fleet, and the ships have made distances within 24 hours that approach the 500 nautical mile barrier

The four teams that sail to Rhode Island, Newport, already have the United States to the north and Brazil right behind, after the fleet has doubled the northeast corner of Brazil.

The next transition will be to cross what seems to be quite quiet doldroms according to the part: the teams are west enough to make their impact not too strong or lasting.

Since 1300 UTC on Monday, leaders are approaching the unstable climate characteristic of Ecuadorian calms. Sailors can find hot spots, high temperatures, humidity and electric storms. This scenario should last about 36 hours, before the teams open their way to the Alisian winds of the North Atlantic.

Team Malizia and the 11th Hour Racing Team have been exchanging the lead in the tracker for the last 24 hours, with the German team a little further north and the Americans just west. The front couple will cross the equator on Monday night UTC and the effects of the doldrums will be more pronounced.

The Guyot Environnement-Team Europe hopes to find more unstable conditions in the future, as it seeks to recover the lost miles after they needed to slow down on Sunday to repair a control of the fire. The procedure brought the team down from second place, and in the struggle for leadership, to where they are today, almost 200 miles back.

The expected arrival at the end of stage 4 in Newport is still on May 10 and should be confirmed by the end of this week when the fleet finds more stable conditions.

2023-04-30: The Ocean Race: North heading towards the doldrums

Moderate toilets allow the fleet to speed north

Moderate alisian winds from the east have allowed the four IMOCA to quickly climb north in the last 24 hours in their approach to the doldrums.

The distance in 24 hours has almost doubled (although they are still far from a record rate) as the wind has settled at about 12-14 knots.

The result has been a resistance competition directly to the north, where the teams will leave the northeastern corner of Brazil by port; their current steps approach them about 30 miles from Recife, which is about 120 miles north of the fleet.

The bad luck has grown with the Guyot Environnement Team Europe, which was doing an extraordinary job by keeping up the rhythm of its rivals during the last day. On Sunday morning, the team took second place, just 4 miles away from the head.

But shortly after, the ship of the master Ben Dutreux went to the coast and reduced the speed. The team reported a small technical problem, which was then confirmed in the break of a corporal to lower the foils, which would cost them almost 50 miles before returning to the race rate.

There are at least a couple of days left for these North Atlantic alsios, and there are several difficult transitions before they arrive... in the meantime, Team Holcim-PRB has confirmed that it has a plan to rejoin the Newport race before stage 5, but it goes by withdrawing from stage 4... shortly after arriving in Rio on Saturday night, the patron Kevin Escoffier said that his team would put all its commitment to be ready to compete in the transatlantic stage, which scores double.

2023-04-28: The Ocean Race: 11th Hour Racing Team leads the fleet north

Kevin Escoffier's team is touched, but not sunk, after losing the mast when he was leading the fourth stage

About 0500 UTC, as the ship sailed to the east with moderate north winds and good sea condition, Team Holcim-PRB's mast fell apart... the patron Kevin Escoffier sent a message to the Regata Control saying that the crew was safe and, shortly thereafter, claimed that the ship was safe and that no assistance was required... despite the fact that it is a hard hit for a team that has won 19 of the 20 possible points in the first three stages of The Ocean Race, Kevin Escoffier does not give up.

Team Holcim-PRB is analysing all the options, including the possibility of taking a spare mast to Brazil for the team to resume the race in the fourth stage, to ensure at least one point and to get back to the fleet in Newport in time for the transatlantic stage... if it is logistically impossible in the end, other options could pass by sending the ship and the spare mast separately to Newport for stage 5 (also with very little time) or to Aarhus for stage 6... by decision will be made in the next hours; for now, the ship and crew are in the Ocean and the team are in the process of remaining options.

Meanwhile, the 11th Hour Racing Team has raised a place to take the front of the fleet, and has Team Malizia 10 miles behind and the Biotherm also very close. The GUYOT environnement- Team Europe is 30 miles late, but it keeps up in the last 24 hours.

2023-04-27: The Ocean Race: Team Holcim-PRB disembola... the crew is safe

The Ocean Race News

Pattern Kevin Escoffier has reported that his team is safe after clearing, during stage 4 of The Ocean Race.

Team Holcim-PRB sailed approximately 20 miles from the coast of Brazil with a moderate wind and sea state... IMOCA displanted just after 05: 00 UTC (02: 00 local time) on April 27, on the fourth day of stage 4.

Team Holcim-PRB, the leader in the race general, sailed in the first position of the fleet at that time, 9 miles ahead of the 11th Hour Racing Team.

2023-04-26: The Ocean Race: the fleet sails in a field limited by the exclusion zone

The fleet is compressed between the coast and an exclusion zone, maintaining a huge equality between the ships

The five IMOCA of the fleet of The Ocean Race continue to sail along the coast of Brazil, tablets between the mainland, to the west, and an exclusion zone to the east... with a wind coming from the north-north, which is the appropriate direction to fend, the ships are doing many turns and maneuvers very close to each other.

The race is still equal. Team Holcim-PRB and the 11th Hour Racing Team appear on the tracker almost as a single boat, as they are separated by less than half a mile in reality. The Biotherm and Team Malizia are about 10 miles away and the GUYOT environnement-Team Europe about 15 miles away.

The clouds have played an important role in bringing very localized winds to the teams. While the Malizia regretted having been overcome by the 11th Hour Racing Team and the Holcim PRB, it is not surprising that the leaders were happy with the result.

With the full fleet compressed between the exclusion zone and the coast, the management of the ship and the micrometers will make a difference during the next day. This exclusion zone is one of the several that exist in stage 4 until Newport. The regatta director, Phil Lawrence, explains that the exclusion areas are divided into four main categories:

- Areas with high levels of danger or maritime traffic: the oil fields off the coast of Brazil enter this category, where the fleet is now located;
- Areas with high marine standards of protected living: just north of the current positions, the whale breeders at the Bank of Abrolhos off the coast of Brazil are an example of an area to avoid ships;
- Areas with specific hazards: later, they will pass through an exclusion zone off the northeast coast of Brazil to keep the ships away from the waste that leaves the Amazon River delta;
- Designated navigation routes where traffic can only travel in one direction: there is such an area in the approach to Rhode Island.

In addition to reducing the risk to fleet and marine life, the presence of an exclusion zone requires tactical decisions. In this case, the entire fleet has remained within the area of exclusion of the oil fields, choosing the option that has a lower risk, but carries a greater demand for work, to stay together.

The fleet has about 100 miles of navigation to the north-east before the stage opens again... and many obstacles ahead.

2023-04-25: The Ocean Race: the fleet in search of the lost wind

The fleet still sails very well, but small differences are emerging as the sailors seek the strongest winds

The start of Stage 4 of The Ocean Race is not being easy, as IMOCA teams are moving away from the coast of Brazil, zigzaguando eastward in search of favourable conditions, without losing sight of the goal of winning north.

There is also a general state of meteor that dictates the strategy to be followed, in contrast to the very localized impact of clouds and blanks with which to deal.

However, this scenario could have gone to a better life, as the 1400 UTC tracker update has the American team at the top of the table, further north, and only gives in to Team Holcim-PRB and Biotherm, which point to the east.

These roles are the ones that explain the paths of the ships in the tracker, as the fleet is turned to move north and then right looking for more favorable winds to the east, in open sea.

At 1400 UTC on Tuesday, there has been a small division in the fleet, with the 11th Hour Racing Team, Team Holcim-PRB and Biotherm located 30 miles north of Team Malizia and the Guyot Environnement.

The teams want to find stronger and more stable conditions, as the fleet still has to go about 200 miles a day to the Newport goal.

2023-04-25: The Ocean Race in its stage 4... that of resistance

The wind of the east-northeast is quite loose, from 8 to 12 knots, and varies constantly by the multiple chubascos... the part says it will increase slightly over the next 24 hours

Annie Lush, the GUYOT environmental regatist - Team Europe, said that the first days of Stage 4 would consist of "resisting," and its definition could not be more successful.

Lush referred to the probability that the ships were very attached, sailing at full speed, one sailboat next to the other. The trim of the candles and the speed of the ship would be the determining factors.

And during the first 18 hours of the Stage, this situation is exactly what has happened in the fleet sailing from east to southeast to get off the coast as quickly as possible.

Paul Meilhat's Biotherm held the lead first thing in the morning, but now it's Team Holcim-PRB who has brought him forward. The differences are very narrow: in the classification, the difference between the first and the fifth is only five miles.

At Team Malizia, the navigator Nico Lunven had a complicated moment when he was hit by a foke clasp when the fleet was moving away from Itajai. He suffered from minor cuts and burns in the face. After consulting with the ground doctor, he is able to follow and has assumed his usual functions, including the development of weather routes at night

2023-04-23: The Ocean Race: Biotherm takes advantage after the exit of Stage 4

The second half of The Ocean Race is already under way and the fleet is sailing north of Brazil

350,000 fans have visited the Itajai Ocean Live Park this month to celebrate the scale of The Ocean Race... and as scheduled it has started Stage 4 of The Ocean Race, when the five IMOCA ships that make up the fleet left Itajai, at the departure of an adventure of more than 5,000 nautical miles to Newport in Rhode Island... in the United States.

What seemed to be great outings of the 11th Hour Racing Team and GUYOT Environnement-Team Europe, after the two ships crossed the line at full speed when they heard the exit gunshot, were not so much.

It was estimated that the two IMOCA had crossed the exit line early and were forced to turn around and restart the stage, a costly error that left the road clear for the Biotherm to take ahead of Team Malizia and Team Holcim PRB.

The Biotherm continued to expand its leadership, partly helped by the equal duel for the second place between the next two ships. At the beginning of the second round, the Holcim-PRB finally managed to overcome the Malizia in the second place, with the two participants who made the off-line, GUYOT and 11th Hour Racing, lagging behind.

At the end of the coastal stretch, the Biotherm had a wide advantage over the fleet, while the GUYOT had done a good job of reassembling the disadvantage with the Malizia.

The stage of Itajai to Newport is just over 5,000 nautical miles and it is expected that the ships will take about 17 days, with an expected arrival around 9 or 10 May.