The Ocean Race was decided at the green table. The 11th Hour Racing team received four bonus points from a jury as compensation for a crash at the beginning of the last leg of the sailing regatta through no fault of their own and the associated elimination on this section of the route. More than enough to pass the Holcim crew again in the overall standings and be crowned the winner of the regatta. Everyone involved praised the jury’s decision, and Hamburg’s Boris Herrmann was even “very relieved” after the verdict. Why actually?
Accidents are part of sport. The fact that leaders and favorites – whether through no fault of their own, through their own carelessness or due to tragic external circumstances – drop out and turn the previous course upside down is an essential part of races and regattas.
Only a few really exciting sporting moments
Compensation points distributed afterwards only destroy the hopes of participants and viewers that an unexpected end might lead to a dramatic turn of events after all. After all, there is no reason to doubt that the German-French Guyot team, which usually sails behind anyway, unintentionally drilled a hole in the hull of the 11th Hour Racing yacht with their boat.
The jury’s decision also reveals that the ocean race organizers themselves do not seem to believe enough in the sporting competition of their regatta: who says that 11th Hour Racing on the final stage without the accident really at least enough for the overall victory got third place? Who knows whether skipper Charlie Enright’s crew might have been stuck in a lull for days on the section of the route, which was characterized by light winds, and then reached the finish line last? Or would there have been a collision with a whale or a lost container on the way?
Overall, this final decision by the organizers illustrates the dilemma facing the Ocean Race: Yes, the regatta is a sailing adventure around the world that produces spectacular images and inspires many fans with its stories about the oceans. But there were only a few really exciting sporting moments on the seven stages over the past six months.
Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3 Sebastian Reuter Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 12 Sebastian Reuter Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 21
This is due to the performance gap between the dominant yachts and the other, lagging teams. This is due to the small field of participants, which meant that in some stages just three boats finished. And it is due to questionable organizational decisions, such as letting a second class boat sail along without much attention and letting all yachts actually built for the oceans compete against each other in irrelevant harbor races. The Ocean Race Europe is scheduled to take place in 2025. Hopefully with a little less harmony and more competition.
