Skipper Kevin Escoffier and his Team Holcim-PRB have won Leg 2 of The Ocean Race from Cabo Verde to Cape Town after a tense battle through the final miles of the race.
At sunrise on Sunday morning (12 February), four IMOCA teams were in the fight for the leg win, with Biotherm, 11th Hour Racing Team and the Holcim-PRB crews racing in lockstep in light and changeable conditions.
Team Malizia was some 20 miles to the south, then spent the next three hours just about sailing around the leading trio.
But the light and fickle winds didn’t hold for them and in the end it was a three-boat race among the northern trio.
Team Holcim-PRB approaches Cape Town on Sunday 12 February to claim the Leg 2 victory | Credit: Sailing Energy/The Ocean Race
Just three hours before the finish, Escoffier and his team finally popped up at the head of the rankings, having been able to sail a slightly better angle at a similar speed towards Cape Town, creating the narrow separation necessary to eke out a winning position.
This is the second consecutive leg win for Escoffier and his team, who maintain a perfect record, and will extend their advantage on the race leaderboard.
Just 16 minutes later, Biotherm took second place — with 11th Hour Racing Team breathing down their necks and crossing the finish line nine minutes after that.
As of 1444 UTC, Team Malizia look secure in fourth place some five nautical miles from the V+A Watertfront, with GUYOT environnement Team Europe due in to Cape Town this evening in fifth place. Follow their arrival on the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.
Leg Two Rankings at 1445 UTC, 12 February
- Team Holcim-PRB, winner at 13:10:09 UTC
- Biotherm, finished at 13:26:54 UTC
- 11th Hour Racing Team, finished at 13:55:40 UTC
- Team Malizia, distance to finish, 75 miles
- GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, distance to lead, 27.2 miles
