Crash at start of The Ocean Race Europe heading to Portsmouth

The crash happened one mile from the start.   Video credit: The Ocean Race Europe 2025

Transcript

00:00Rosalind Kuyper, first time skipper, has nailed the time and distance on this start.

00:05The Ocean Race Europe 2025 gets underway and Rosalind Kuyper,

00:10the youngest skipper in the fleet, starting strongly out in the lead.

00:15Big breeze coming over.

00:17Allegrande Mappy, huge heel.

00:20Team Holston PRB also, and Team Holston PRB just broaching out.

00:24Too much heel, too much power for the runner to control.

00:26Allegrande Mappy just holding on to the power.

00:31They're using the big fractional Code Zero, the big headsail, giving them full power.

00:36Thomas Rien at the back of the boat.

00:39Oh, and right there in the middle, Allegrande Mappy and Team Holston PRB getting incredibly close.

00:45Now, Team Holston PRB was to Lourdes, but I think Allegrande Mappy was behind going over the top,

00:51and that was far too close.

00:53Nobody on board either boat will be happy about that.

00:57We're just waiting to see exactly what happened there, and it is bad news for Allegrande Mappy.

01:04The fractional mast headset, the fractional Code Zero has torn.

01:08It has ripped.

01:09Now, that could have been on the rigging of Team Holston PRB.

01:16That is a disastrous way to start this race.

01:20You are now going to have to get that sail furled out of the way.

01:24It actually looks like it was the mast head Code Zero, and that is why they lost control.

01:28There was so much power.

01:29Nobody else was going for that big sail.

01:31Now, all of the teams are carrying seven sails, so it isn't the end of the world for them.

01:36But, ah, and it's the windward foil that completely cuts through the zero.

01:41They are so sharp.

01:43It's so easy for it to happen, but that is an absolute disaster for Mappy.

01:48But they do have other sails on board.

01:51It's going to be a mission for them to deal with that now, get the sail out of the air,

01:55and try and repair it over the course of the leg.

01:58Ah, you can just see Ambrosio Vaccaria.

02:01He is not happy.

02:02He knows that he was, well, I don't want to jump the jury on this one,

02:06but I think technically in the wrong.

02:08But I think they felt we were through.

02:11We were over the top.

02:12There's no way the Team Holston PRB will come up from there.