A great day of In Port racing in Aarhus marked the return of the VO65 class to The Ocean Race, as the fleet comes back to continue racing in the VO65 Sprint.
First up the five VO65s took to the race course, in light winds of 5 to 7 knots as the sea breeze was only just getting established.
Skipper Pablo Arrarte’s WindWhisper Racing Team held off Team JAJO for the win, with a flawless performance and a great win for the Polish team as the VO65 Sprint reignites.
With the IMOCA overall race leaderboard so close at the top, the In-Port Race results take on greater importance as a tie-breaking mechanism for The Ocean Race.
As the IMOCAs got underway later in the afternoon the sea breeze had built to nearly 10 knots, providing steady conditions for the fleet.
As the gun went, it was Biotherm that timed their approach and building speed perfectly to hit the line at the leeward end at pace, gaining the initial advantage as the four boats made their way up the first leg.
Biotherm only arrived in Aarhus late on Saturday night after a difficult and frustrating transatlantic leg, making their dominant performance in the racing all the more impressive.
On the final lap it was more of the same from Biotherm with a perfect performance stretching the lead even further to take the in-port win in Aarhus.
Team Holcim-PRB finished second, 11th Hour Racing Team third and Team Malizia fourth.
The sun was shining on Sunday, as it has been throughout the entire Aarhus stopover, and that meant a building sea breeze would be the order of the day for the In Port Racing programme.
IMOCA – Aarhus In Port Race – Results
1. Biotherm – 5 points
2. Team Holcim-PRB – 4 points
3. 11th Hour Racing Team – 3 points
4. Team Malizia – 2 points
5. GUYOT environnement – Team Europe – 0 points
VO65 Sprint – Aarhus In Port Race – Results
1. WindWhisper Racing – 6 points
2. Team JAJO – 5 points
3. Viva México – 4 points
4. Trifork Mirpuri Racing – 3 points
5. Austrian Ocean Racing / Team Genova – 2 points
6. Ambersail – did not start – 0 points
