The Ocean Race-Europe crews facing a sleepless night of repeated manoeuvres as they beat upwind to the finish at Portsmouth, UK.
If Biotherm can keep up the pace and defend their lead through this punishing final section, they are on track to cross the finish line in the Solent off Portsmouth in the early hours of Thursday.
But the fight will last all night, and with the wind shifts ahead expected to compress and stretch the fleet, the final miles of Leg 1 could still yet decide the podium.
As per race rules, the race course may be extended to bring the leading boats to Portsmouth during daylight hours and this remains an option – the ETA is currently early in the day on Thursday and this will be updated on www.theoceanrace.com
Meanwhile, the teams involved in a collision shortly after the start – Team Holcim PRB and Allagrande MAPEI Racing – have filed protests against each other. The hearing is scheduled to take place during the Cartagena stopover following Leg 2. Both teams remain in Kiel, and continue to work step by step towards a return, with more news to come from each team as their repairs progress and their plans take shape.
