Please select your home edition
Edition
Ocean Safety 2023 - New Identity - LEADERBOARD

Team JAJO wins the VO65 In Port Race The Hague - both fleets ready for The Grand Finale in Genova

by The Ocean Race 14 Jun 17:52 UTC 14 June 2023
The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup 2022-23 - 14 June 2023. VO65 In-Port Race in the The Hague, Netherlands © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race

The local heroes on the Dutch-flagged Team JAJO made a statement of intent right from the start of the VO65 In Port Race in The Hague on Wednesday afternoon by crossing ahead of the entire fleet on port tack, a high-risk, high-reward manoeuvre that allowed them to build a solid lead at the first turning gate.

Behind them, the overall race leader, WindWhisper Racing Team, rounded in second place with Viva Mexico following. But the Mexican team elected to race the downwind leg with a masthead code zero sail, which didn't pay off, and allowed Mirpuri/Trifork to make a pass.

On the second lap of the course, WindWhisper skipper Pablo Arrarte worked every shift to split away from Jelmer van Beek's Team JAJO to try and get a sniff of the lead. But the JAJO team protected well and even extended to earn a wire-to-wire win in front of a delirious home crowd.

"This is so nice," said van Beek, overcome with emotion after the finish. "The team worked so hard and we got it! We got it in our hometown!! I never expected this. I'm so happy."

Arrarte's WindWhisper crew sailed a solid race for second place, holding off Mirpuri-Trifork Racing in third.

"This kind of windward-leeward race course is intense with a lot of manoeuvres but we sailed well and second place is great," Arrarte said. "It was a good race and I'm happy with the result."

"We were fourth over the starting line and we managed to overtake the Mexican team and even got close to WindWhisper, so it was an exciting race," said 'Chuny' Bermudez from the Mirpuri-Trifork team. "But big kudos to Team JAJO, they made a great start and stayed ahead."

There was also action at the back of the fleet, as the crew on Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova engineered a late comeback, passing Team México just before the finishing line to grab fourth place.

VO65 class - In Port Race - The Hague

1. Team JAJO - 6 points
2. WindWhisper Racing Team - 5 points
3. Mirpuri-Trifork Racing - 4 points
4. Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova - 3 points
5. Viva México - 2 points
6. Ambersail 2 - DNS - 0 points

The overall race leaderboards are here

Race preview - The Hague -> Genova

Meanwhile, sailors in both fleets are preparing for a challenging race for the Grand Finale in Genova, Italy.

For the IMOCA fleet that has raced around the world, this ultimate leg of The Ocean Race is decisive - the winner will be crowned in Genova.

Skipper Charlie Enright and his 11th Hour Racing Team have put themselves in a strong position with three consecutive leg wins to build a 2-point lead over Team Holcim-PRB.

As the American team also holds the advantage in the tie-breaking In Port Race Series, the only way for skipper Benjamin Schwartz's Holcim-PRB team to overcome the deficit is to finish three points clear ahead on this final stage.

"It's not only up to us to win this leg, we have to finish in front of 11th Hour Racing Team, either in 1st or 2nd, and then they have to be 4th or 5th - those are the only only options," Schwartz said at the skippers' press conference on Wednesday. "So we're going to try to win this leg, and then we'll need a bit of help from the other teams if we are going to win The Ocean Race."

For Enright, the task is clear: "We've sailed a lot of miles around the world already, but there's 2,000 very, very, very complex miles left to go," he said. "We've just had our weather briefing and this is shaping up to be like an extended version of the last leg, which was the most complex one that we've done to date.

"It's tricky and the points are close. We'll still try to sail aggressively, but also stay humble. We recognise where we are, what the situation is, so we're looking forward to the next leg, and I'm sure it's gonna come right down to the end, because it always seems to do that."

Things are slightly easier at the head of the VO65 Sprint fleet, where Poland's WindWhisper Racing Team has won the opening two stages of the competition. However, by earning second and third place finishes Team JAJO remains within striking distance.

"I think it's not going to be over until we cross the finish line in Genova," was the cautious take from Pablo Arrarte, the WindWhisper skipper. "Anything can happen - you can break the boat or you can have other issues. So we'll approach this stage the same way as the others. We will do our best, sail the boat as fast as possible, and we will work very hard until the finish."

Gerwin Jansen is leading Austrian Ocean Racing - powered by Team Genova on a race to the team's home port, so motivation is high.

"Obviously, there's quite a lot of pressure on us because we're sailing to our home port, and expectations are high in Genova, but we like the challenge," Jansen said. "It's a very long, complicated leg, so I think the key is to stay fresh, and then the plan is to keep close through Gibraltar and then overtake all of them in the Mediterranean!"

Sailors in both fleets spoke about the complexity of the race to the Grand Finale in Genova. The start will take the teams into a North Sea crowded with shipping, wind farms and challenging currents, before the Bay of Biscay and race to Gibraltar offers a more traditional 'offshore' style of racing.

But then comes the Mediterranean and the final third of the leg racing through early summer conditions on a body of water that can throw any and all kinds of weather at the fleet.

With all this, it's shaping up to be a fantastic push to the Grand Finale in Genova, Italy, with the results open in both the VO65 and IMOCA fleets.

Racing starts on Thursday afternoon at 13:10 local time (CEST) for the VO65 class and at 18:15 for the IMOCA fleet.

Our how to follow guide is here

Related Articles

The Ocean Race wins the Sustainability Award
In the International Sports Awards 2023 The Ocean Race, the toughest and longest test of a team in sport, has taken the top prize in the Sustainability category of the 2023 International Sports Awards, hosted by the International Sports Convention. Posted on 7 Dec
The Ocean Race takes action at COP28
Calling for a sea change at United Nations Climate Change Conference The Ocean Race is at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28, to call for the ocean to be a key consideration in the vital climate negotiations and to highlight how sport and business can help to make a positive difference for the planet. Posted on 30 Nov
The Ocean Race to collect rare data in Antarctica
The analysis of tiny microplastics (down to 30 microns) has never been done before in Antarctica The Ocean Race is driving an Antarctic science mission in which vital data about the health of the ocean will be gathered at the southern fringes of the planet, where information is extremely sparse. Posted on 28 Nov
11th Hour Racing is World Sailing Team of the Year
The first American team to win The Ocean Race has been recognised Skipper Charlie Enright was on hand to pick up the Team of the Year prize at the World Sailing annual awards night held in Málaga, Spain on Tuesday evening. Posted on 15 Nov
A Voyage of Discovery: The Ocean Race documentary
Viewers are taken behind the scenes and given 'all access' to live the drama of the toughest race A three-part documentary featuring a deep dive into the lives of the sailors and teams competing in The Ocean Race 2022-23 will be released on Friday 3rd November on Eurosport. Posted on 2 Nov
Link up with Team Nexans - Art et Fenêtres (II)
The Ocean Race to support ocean science during the TJV The Ocean Race is supporting Team Nexans - Art et Fenêtres (II) in the collection of vital ocean data during the Transat Jacques Vabre (TJV), which sets sail this weekend from Le Havre, Normandy. Posted on 27 Oct
Whitbread Round the World Race 93-94 Official Film
The first race to feature the new Whitbread 60 class By the 1993-94 edition, the Whitbread Round the World Race had already transformed from an adventure imbued with Corinthian spirit to a professional sport where food, bedding and clothing were being optimised for performance not comfort. Posted on 22 Oct
The Ocean Race and Cabo Verde team up
Signing a Memorandum of Understanding to protect and restore ocean health Following a successful stopover and hosting of The Ocean Race Summit in January 2023, Cabo Verde and The Ocean Race will focus on protecting and promoting ocean health through sport and science... Posted on 20 Sep
Call for recognition of inherent ocean rights
Made by The Ocean Race and global partners The Ocean Race, the Government of Cabo Verde and US-based Earth Law Center present principles to guide a new relationship with the ocean. Posted on 19 Sep
eDNA data collection in The Ocean Race
Scientists found a link between latitude and the abundance of ocean bacteria that break down plastic Environmental DNA, known as eDNA, one of the most cutting-edge ways to measure ocean health and biodiversity, was collected during The Ocean Race 2022-23 in a world first for racing boats. Posted on 16 Sep
North Sails Performance 2023 - FOOTERGJW Direct - Yacht 2019 - FooterMarine Products Direct 2023 - Calypso FOOTER