Sailing: Spectacular collision in Germany at the start of The Ocean Race Europe
The collision occurred two minutes after crossing the starting line, off the coast of Kiel. While sailing side by side close-hauled (heading upwind), the Holcim-PRB boat of the Dutchwoman Rosalin Kuiper and the Mapei of the Italian Ambrogio Beccaria collided with their side appendages, as shown in this video published by Eurosport (starting at 1 minute).
In a rare accident for this type of technology-packed boat, Holcim-PRB's port foil tore through Mapei's headsail and mainsail, while the latter pierced its competitor's hull with its outrigger (a side tube that helps support the mast).
The Ocean Race Europe is off to a bad start...
Holcim-PRB got torn apart by Allagrande-Mapei's outrigger... pic.twitter.com/IiUAFoH8oy
The two monohulls quickly turned back to return to port, where they will have to decide whether to repair and resume the race, during this leg or the next.
A total of seven yachts, with mixed and international crews, set off on this first leg between Kiel and Portsmouth, on the south coast of England. A variation of the famous Ocean Race, a crewed leg race around the world, The Ocean Race Europe is a 4,500-mile (8,300 km) journey around the continent, from the Baltic to the Adriatic, aboard IMOCAs, the Vendée Globe monohulls.
Several of the sailors who took part in the last edition of this solo round the world race were also at the start of this race on Sunday: some as skippers like Paul Meilhat (Biotherm), Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkea), Alan Roura (Team Amaala) or Boris Herrmann (Malizia), others as crew members, like Thomas Ruyant or Justine Mettraux.
On Sunday, Meilhat and Richomme made the best start, heading northeast to cross the Danish archipelago before heading due west for a crossing of the North Sea. They are scheduled to arrive in Portsmouth within four days. Subsequent stages will take them to Cartagena in southeastern Spain, Nice and Genoa (Italy), before arriving in Kotor (Montenegro) in September.
Libération
