After 138 days, the VO65 class yachts are back on the course of the legendary The Ocean Race. The Polish WindWhisper hopes to keep the winning streak alive.
The sixth leg of The Ocean Race began in Aarhus, Denmark, on Thursday 8 June. Comprising five yachts, the VO65 class fleet has an 800-mile leg to cover with the finish in The Hague. After winning Sunday’s harbour race, the final test before competing at sea, the mood in the Polish team was excellent.
“The boat is well prepared, we have very good sailors in the crew, we have been training intensively for the last few days and we are all looking forward to the start.”,
said Pablo Arrarte, skipper of WindWhisper Racing Team.
Making her debut in the Polish crew, New Zealander Gemma Jones was setting herself up for a tough crossing.
“We have the sixth leg of The Ocean Race ahead of us. What do we expect from it? Even though it’s only three days of racing, it can be very difficult as everyone will be giving it their all to the limit. We expect very little sleep and a lot of manoeuvring. Regardless of what awaits us on the route between Aarhus and The Hague, we will definitely give it our all! Keep your fingers crossed for us!”
said Gemma Jones
Unfortunately, Kinga Loboda will have to wait longer for her debut in The Ocean Race. The Gdańsk-based sailor suffered an injury. Her place on board has been taken by the routine Liz Wardley. On the other hand, Szymon Cierzan got a taste of deep-sea racing.
“The attitude before the race is of course combative. For me, this is an incredible opportunity to fulfil my dream and compete in The Ocean Race. I will try to show my best!”,
declared the young sailor
WindWhisper Racing Team navigator Aksel Magdahl has a plan in mind for the race.
“The stage from Aarhus to The Hague, which starts today, promises to be extremely interesting. The weak wind, which is expected for 18 hours from the start, will force many sail changes. On top of that, there will be many navigational challenges, from changing meteorological conditions to wind farms appearing along the route. We hope to check in at The Hague in the early afternoon on Sunday,”
said Aksel Magdahl
WindWhisper is competing against four other teams in its class: the Danish Trifork/Mirpuri Foundation, the Dutch Team JAJO, the Mexican Viva Mexico and the Austrian-Italian team Austrian Ocean Racing – powered by Team Genova. At the moment, the biggest rival for the final triumph seems to be the Dutch, whose line-up includes, among others, Pole Maja Micińska. The duel with the Danes with Bouwe Bekking on board will also be interesting. The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup will be won by the best crew after three stages: Alicante – Mindelo, Aarhus – The Hague, The Hague – Genoa.