In a display of unwavering dominance, the crew of the Polish yacht WindWhisper emerged victorious once again in the second harbour race of this year’s highly anticipated edition of The Ocean Race. Continuously outpacing their rivals, the WindWhisper crew has established a commanding lead in the fiercely competitive VO65 class, leaving their opponents trailing behind by a considerable margin. This remarkable performance sets an auspicious tone as they prepare for the arduous upcoming leg, which will see them navigating the challenging high seas from Aarhus to The Hague.
Under cloudless skies and basking in the warmth of the full sun, the VO65 class fleet enjoyed ideal sailing conditions during the thrilling harbour race held in Aarhus, Denmark. The racecourse was strategically laid out in a rectangular shape, requiring the competitors to complete two laps. With a gentle breeze of 5 knots at the start, it was Team Egg who initially capitalized on the favourable wind conditions, catapulting themselves to an impressive beginning.
However, it was the WindWhisper Racing Team, closely trailing the Dutch contenders, who managed to seize the lead before reaching the first buoy. Demonstrating exceptional skill and tenacity, the Polish crew held on to their advantage until they triumphantly crossed the finish line. Commentators were quick to hail their flawless performance as they secured a resounding victory.
“It was great to be back racing,”
said a happy Pablo Arrarte, skipper of the Polish crew.
“The race was difficult. We knew that the start would be extremely important, but we coped and quickly built up a lead that we were able to maintain. Although there were a few changes in our crew line-up, I was confident that we would cope,”
Arrarte concluded.
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The WindWhisper Racing Team earned six points for their victory in Aarhus, doubling their tally in the overall harbour race classification. Although their results do not count towards the overall standings of The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup, in the event of an equal number of points between the crews they may decide the final order.
Sailing aboard the Polish yacht in the harbour race were Pablo Arrarte (skipper), Daryl Wislang, Gemma Jones, Aksel Magdahl (navigator), Mateusz Gwóźdź, Kacper Gwóźdź, Kinga Łoboda, Szymon Cierzan, Arianne van de Loosdrecht, Marcin Sutkowski and Tomasz Piotrowski (onboard reporter).
Final results of the VO65 Sprint harbour race in Aarhus:
1. WindWhisper Racing Team (Poland) – 6 points
2nd Team JAJO (Netherlands) – 5 points
3rd Viva México (Mexico) – 4 points
4th Trifork – Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team – (Denmark) – 3 points
5th Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova (Austria) – 2 points
6th Ambersail 2 (Lithuania) – did not start
After two of the three harbour races the table is as follows:
1. WindWhisper Racing Team (Poland) – 12 points
2nd Team JAJO (Netherlands) – 5 points
3rd Viva México (Mexico) – 4 points
4th Trifork – Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team – (Denmark) – 3 points
5th Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova (Austria) – 2 points
6th Ambersail 2 (Lithuania) – 0 points
The WindWhisper crew will devote the next few days to intensive training ahead of the start of the next high-seas leg of The Ocean Race. After an emphatic January victory in the first leg from Alicante in Spain to Mindelo in the Cape Verde Islands, the Polish-flagged yacht is also leading the overall classification of the entire race. The stage between Aarhus and The Hague will start on 8 June. The race can be followed at theoceanrace.com and on the Eurosport channel.
The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup general classification after the first of three stages:
1. WindWhisper Racing Team (Poland) – 6 points
2nd Team JAJO (Netherlands) – 5 points
3. Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova (Austria) – 4 points
5th Viva México (Mexico) – 2 points
6th Trifork – Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team – (Denmark) – 0 points
7th Ambersail 2 (Lithuania) – withdrew from the race.
During the start of The Ocean Race WindWhisper Racing Team are supported by: Bumech SA, WindWhisper, CISE, KHG Invest, Helly Hansen and AWL Grip. The Polish yacht sails under the flag of Yacht Klub Polski Gdynia.
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