Ocean Race Europe: Biotherm wins - Boris Herrmann second, crash boats almost repaired

The French team Biotherm won the crazy first leg of the Ocean Race Europe. Shortly before 12 noon German time, the sailboat skippered by Paul Meilhat arrived at the finish port in Portsmouth, England. Boris Herrmann and his Malizia crew overtook the Paprec Arkéa boat in the final sprint to take second place by a narrow margin. This earned the German skipper six points.

Biotherm collected seven points thanks to the victory. The French team also took the overall lead after the first of the five legs of the offshore sailing race around Europe. They already have a total of nine points, having also secured the first qualifying mark after the start in Kiel on Sunday.

The start in Kiel was overshadowed by the crash of two boats. The Swiss team Holcim-PRB collided with the Italian Mapei boat. Both teams have since filed a protest. The hearing will not take place until after the second leg, which runs from Portsmouth to Cartagena, Spain.

Both crews are currently still busy repairing their damaged boats. They had to abort the first leg. Whether they will make it to the starting port of Portsmouth in time for the start of the second leg remains to be seen.

There was some good news on Thursday morning, however: Holcim skipper Rosalin Kuiper announced that the boat's hull had been precisely patched. "This is a big step in our repair process," she said, visibly relieved, on Holcim's Instagram channel, but added: "Before we set sail again, we will ensure that the boat has been fully tested," Kuiper said.

Team Mapei is also making progress. According to NDR, regatta spokesperson Andreas Kling said the Italian crew is only waiting for the equipment check to decide whether to continue.

The second leg starts on Sunday in Portsmouth and takes the crews on the longest leg of the race (1,400 nautical miles), including via Porto and through the Strait of Gibraltar to Cartagena.