After an intense start to Leg One, with all-out racing through the Baltic and a bruising first 24 hours along the Danish coast, the IMOCA fleet has been shifting gears and pushing hard to reach the English coast in the next 12-24 hours.
If the current pace holds, the leaders could reach the south coast of England before the planned Thursday daylight finish in the Solent, raising the possibility of race management extending the course.
The wind direction and exclusion zones in the southern North Sea have left just one fast lane towards the British coast, and Biotherm have seized control of it. The chasing pack – Paprec Arkéa and Team Malizia – have little choice but to follow, turning the next phase into a straight-line speed contest.
Of the three boats tipped before the start to be strongest in light airs – Biotherm, Holcim PRB, and Allagrande MAPEI – only Biotherm remain in the race after collisions sidelined the other two.
AT the 08:00 UTC Wednesday ranking, Biotherm maintains its lead, 18 miles ahead of Paprec Arkéa (2nd) and 27 miles ahead of Team Malizia (3rd). They are expected in Portsmouth Thursday morning.
The rest of the leg promises to be complex for the whole fleet, which also includes Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive (48 miles back) and Team AMAALA (76 miles back).
