After two days of predominantly light wind sailing and slow progress for the Ocean Race Europe fleet, the top four teams experienced 30 knot winds.
The day 3 race leaders: Paprec Arkéa (FRA), Biotherm (FRA), Allagrande Mapei (ITA), and Team Malizia (GER) were the first to experience a low pressure weather system packing winds over 30 knots that sent them tearing downwind on – and sometimes over – the edge of control.
On Paprec Arkéa, skipper Yoann Richomme (FRA) woke up suddenly to find the boat on its side after the boat involuntarily gybed in the night shortly after passing through a thunder and lightning storm and into fresh breeze from a different direction.
“I walked out of my bunk standing on the wall of the boat,” he said . . . “Basically we were going so fast that we caught up to the thunderstorm and the clouds. Then we ended up in front of it and the wind direction switched so fast that the boat turned on its side. The boat was coming in at 32 plus knots and then bam we hit the wind in the other direction.”
After righting the boat and getting going again the Paprec Arkéa sailors had to change a damaged headsail sheet, but also discovered that their radar unit had been ripped off its bracket on the front of the mast.
Likewise, Swiss entry Team Holcim – PRB also had a major high speed broach which saw the boat round up to windward before tacking and getting pushed over.
“We laid the boat on its side,” said Briton Alan Roberts. “There was a gust and the boat broached out and then tacked, so we ended up on our side. There was a bit of work to get the boat back upright, but we are back going again now – so all’s good and everyone’s safe.”
At 14:30 Wednesday, as the frontrunners slowed in lighter winds on the approach to a virtual waypoint northwest of the Italian island of Sicily, the tracker showed Paprec Arkéa in the lead with an around three-nautical mile advantage over the other three who were in a tightly packed group a little further north.
Team Holcim – PRB remained in fifth 120 nm back, with Canada Ocean Racing and Team AMAALA respectively 260 nm and 300 nm off the lead.
After rounding the waypoint the pack will skirt the western and southern coast of Sicily later today and overnight before heading east towards Greece.
