All articles tagged with #the ocean race
Two boats participating in The Ocean Race had encounters with killer whales in the Atlantic Ocean. Team JAJO had a "scary moment" when a pod of three orcas bumped their ship's rudders, but no damage or injuries occurred. Both Team JAJO and Mirpuri Trifork Racing reported orca encounters on Thursday.
Two sailing teams participating in The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint encountered a pod of orcas in the Atlantic Ocean to the west of Gibraltar. The orcas pushed up against the boats, nudged and bitten at the rudders, and in one case, rammed the boat. No injuries were reported, but the incidents come amid reports of seemingly coordinated attacks on boats by orcas, with incidents tripling in the past two years.
Two boats participating in The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint had encounters with orcas in the Atlantic Ocean near Gibraltar. The orcas pushed up against or rammed into the boats, but there were no injuries or damage reported. The area around Gibraltar has become known for such encounters, with some boats being significantly damaged. Scientists are still trying to understand this new behavior of orcas.
During The Ocean Race of 2022-23, sailors found microplastic concentrations up to 18 times higher than during the last race in 2017-18 in some of the most remote parts of the ocean. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic shed from larger plastic products, and their health risks are still largely unknown. The sharp increase in microplastic pollution between the last race and the current one is concerning, and scientists are working on ways to filter out or treat microplastics while governments are beginning to address the root of the problem by banning the worst offenders.
The Ocean Race continues with drama as three boats in the IMOCA fleet race towards Genova after a collision that caused damage to 11th Hour Racing Team and forced GUYOT environnement - Team Europe to retire from leg 7. The VO65 fleet is also racing towards Genova, with local heroes Team JAJO leading the way. The incident was caught on camera and no one was hurt, but the extent of the damage to 11th Hour Racing Team is uncertain. The team is assessing repair options and considering redress implications.
11th Hour Racing Team is working to repair their damaged boat after a collision with GUYOT environnement - Team Europe during leg 7 of The Ocean Race. The team has retired from the leg and filed for redress to secure the points needed to win the overall race. The team is focused on making repairs and sailing to Genova to participate in the Grand Finale. The final standings of the race depend on both on-water performance and any possible Jury award of points to 11th Hour Racing Team via redress.
The Ocean Race leader, 11th Hour Racing Team, has been forced to suspend racing after being hit by GUYOT environnement - Team Europe approximately 15 minutes after the start of the final leg. Both boats suffered extensive damage and have returned to port in The Hague. No injuries were reported. GUYOT skipper Benjamin Dutreux admitted fault, and his team has retired from the leg and offered assistance to 11th Hour Racing Team.
The Ocean Race's technical director, Neil "Coxy" Cox, says that the shore team element is critical to success in the IMOCA GLOBE SERIES races. He ensures that each team has everything it needs to enable it to hit the ground running at each stopover. The condition that the boats leave Brazil, as they set sail for Newport, will go a long way to determining the eventual outcome. The skippers and sailors involved in this race will already have learnt how to sail their foilers at a level that they could not have reached as single-handers.