“Like a Car Crash”
Crash shocks and horrifies Ocean Race
06/16/2023, 2:10 p.m
A crash, a shock, a repair night shift and waiting for the jury: nothing has been the same at the Ocean Race since the collision between Team Guyot and 11th Hour Racing. The accident sends shock waves through the field. And could decide the race.
The day after the serious Ocean Race collision off The Hague, shock and horror continued to prevail in the Dutch port of call. At the same time, repair work and the jury process have started, and the last stage of the circumnavigation will initially be continued with only three instead of five boats. It is still unclear whether the 11th Hour Racing, which leads the overall standings, will be able to compete again.
Shortly after the start of the last stage in the destination port of Genoa, Team Guyot with French skipper and helmsman Benjamin Dutreux caused a serious crash with the US team 11th Hour Racing around German co-skipper Robert Stanjek.
While no sailors were injured, the American yacht “Malamā” in particular was massively damaged when the pointed bowsprit of the black “Guyot” drilled into the rear port side of the hull of “Malamā” and penetrated into the interior of the US boat . Cameras on board recorded the scene.
“I was at the helm and saw her boat suddenly appear. It was too late by then. Contact was inevitable after I saw her. I take full responsibility. It was our fault,” said Frenchman Ben Dutreux.
“A Gift That No One Was Hurt”
A later Guyot statement said: “Our thoughts are exclusively with 11th Hour Racing, the team leading this ocean race, the friendly team around skipper Charlie Enright, who made it possible for Guyot Environnement – Team Europe to return to the competition.” The Americans had provided Team Guyot with their replacement mast for their comeback in stage six after the mast broke on stage four.
Many tears flowed in both team camps after the crash, but there were also hugs. “We are devastated,” said Guyot’s Berlin team manager Jens Kuphal in The Hague. “It was like a car accident. It’s a gift that no one was seriously injured.”
Above all, the ocean race teams and the organizers on land are waiting for the jury’s decision on the protest submitted by 11th Hour Racing. It will have a decisive impact on the overall result of the 14th The Ocean Race.
Should the 11th Hour Racing team be awarded a classic reparation, the Americans, who are two points ahead of the Swiss team Holcim-PRB, could secure overall victory early on at the green table. This would rob Holcim-PRB of a chance to overtake 11th Hour Racing on the water.
Before the last stage, Boris Herrmann’s team Malizia had a slim chance of moving up to second place in the overall standings. The German yacht should have won the stage and Team Holcim-PRB finished fifth. With currently only three boats in the ongoing race, there is no longer a chance for Team Malizia to make the final advance. “We’re incredibly sorry for both teams. Of course we’re wondering what the consequences will be for the race,” said Herrmann.