Monaco’s Malizia-Seaexplorer team, skippered by Brit Will Harris have arrived in Cape Town in fourth place in the second stage of the ongoing Ocean Race.

The team, which was founded by Pierre Casiraghi, Vice President of the Yacht Club de Monaco and nephew to Prince Albert II, got off to a slow start from Cap Verde. It was dogged by technical issues, which at one point led to the team trailing by 180 nautical miles.

However, skippered by Harris, the Mailiza-Seaexplorer placed itself to the west of the fleet, allowing for substantial inroads to be made on their competitors, to the extent that the team even led.

The win looked to be within their grasp, however, light winds 500 nautical miles away from Cape Town blocked the Monaco flagged team’s route to victory. The Malizia-Seaexplorer placed itself to the south of the fleet, hoping to profit from increased pressure, and it was a winning strategy until the final miles of the race when the winds abated.

Ultimately, the Malizia-Seaexplorer was passed by three of its rivals in the final miles, with Team Holcim ultimately taking the win in the South African port of Cape Town on Sunday 12th February.

Yacht Club de Monaco member and leader of the Malizia-Seaexplorer’s quest for victory in the Ocean Race Boris Herrmann reflected on a topsy-turvy second leg of the round-the-world sailing race.

“The last hours of the race weren’t in our favour, but the team fought on. We are so proud of them and this great racing, and even though we’d have loved them to win, we couldn’t have asked for more. They pushed till the end, took us on this journey with them and also showcased the amazing sport of sailing engaging people around the world. The final score is fourth, but they won in many ways,” he said.

Leg Three, which will see the fleet from South Africa to Itajaí, Brazil, will begin on 26th February.

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Photo by YCM