Skipper Charlie Enright and the 11th Hour Racing Team finished Leg 2 of The Ocean Race 2022-23 in third place on Sunday, Feb. 12. The only US entry in the five-boat IMOCA fleet completed the 6,514.01 nautical mile course from Mindelo, Cabo Verde to Cape Town, South Africa, in 17 days, 20 hours, 35 minutes, and 40 seconds. 

“We are a little disappointed with a third place finish after 17 days,” said Enright,  “But the bigger picture to take home is that we sailed the boat fast and well, and I think that bodes well for the future. This race is a marathon and not a sprint, and we have a big doubler pointer coming up with Leg 3 through the Southern Ocean.”

It was an intense battle over the final stage of the race, with six lead changes in the last 24-hours, as the crews battled for the finish line. The Swiss entry of Holcim-PRB finished first, followed by Biotherm. 11th Hour Racing Team crossed the finish line just 25 minutes off the winning time.

“It has been pretty intense, relentless, and felt never-ending,” said Jack Bouttell, a trimmer for the 11th Hour team. “It was really unstable, and there was no clear route to sail. Three hundred miles from the finish line, we were all within a couple of miles of each other. The whole way to the finish it was light winds, clouds, and shifts. We were in a really good place last night, but we found ourselves on the wrong side of a few clouds which put us in a worse position and that was it.”

Enright proud of his team

Enright said that he was proud of the way the team sailed and their performance isn’t reflected on the leaderboard. 

“We did a great job onboard, but of course, there are still things we can learn. We have a very objective and pragmatic group and we will take from it what we can and be better for it moving forward. We are only 20 percent into the race. If we sail the boat as we have in the last leg, from now until July, we’ll be fine. This is an opportunity for resilience.”

11th Hour Racing team navigator Simon Fisher, a six-time Ocean Race veteran said that the last 24 hours have been pretty tough for the team. 

“We always had the ambition to win this leg and we’re always fighting at the front. So to end up third is a difficult pill to swallow. But the positive thing is that we were consistently the boat that was fighting at the front for the entire leg. W sailed very well and we never felt out of touch. There is a bit of luck in sailing, so that is something we can’t forget. So while disappointing and it stings a little today, we should probably not take it too much to heart. Onwards and upwards from here.”

Overall standings after two Legs of The Ocean Race 2022-23

1. Team Holcim-PRB – 10 points (5+5)
2. 11th Hour Racing Team – 7 points (4+3)
3. Biotherm – 6 points (2+4)
4. Team Malizia – 5 points (3+2)
5. Guyot Envioronnement – Team Europe – 2 points (1+1)                                                                                                                                                   To read a full thread of Leg 2 updates, including daily reports from onboard Media Crew Member, Amory Ross, go to: https://www.11thhourracingteam.org/news/leg-2-onboard-updates

Leg 2 for the 11th Hour Racing team in brief:

• 11th Hour Racing team finishes Leg 2 of The Ocean Race in third position.
• The 6,500 nautical mile leg from Mindelo, Cabo Verde to Cape Town, South Africa took the crews 17 days, 20 hours, 35 minutes, and 40 seconds.
• Focus is now on two weeks of boat refit and preparation before departure on the longest leg in The Ocean Race history. 
• Restart on Sunday, February 26, destination Itajaí, Brazil.

Leg 2 crew

Charlie Enright’s crew for this second leg was Navigator Simon Fisher (GBR), Trimmers Jack Bouttell (AUS/GBR) and Justine Mettraux (SUI), and Amory Ross (USA) as Media Crew Member.

Crossing the Doldrums: Leg rankings at 1600 UTC – February 12, 2023

1. 1st – Team Holcim-PRB, 17d 19h, 01m 09s 5 points
2. 2nd – Biotherm, 17d 19h 16m 54s 4 points
3. 3rd – 11th Hour Racing Team, 3 points, 17d, 19h, 25m, 40s 3 points
4. 4th – Team Malizia 17d 21h 06m 49s 2 points
5. 5th – Guyot environment – Team Europe 17d 22h 46min 27s 1 point 

The Ocean Race 2022-23 Route:

Leg 1: Alicante, Spain to Mindelo, Cabo Verde
Leg 2: Cabo Verde to Cape Town, South Africa
Leg 3: Cape Town, South Africa to Itajaí, Brazil
Leg 4: Itajaī, Brazil, to Newport, Rhode Island
Leg 5: Newport, Rhode Island to Aarhus, Denmark
Leg 6: Aarhus, Denmark to The Hague, The Netherlands (with a flyby past Kiel, Germany)
Leg 7: The Hague, The Netherlands to Genoa, Italy

To read a full thread of Leg 2 updates, including daily reports from onboard Media Crew Member, Amory Ross, go to: https://www.11thhourracingteam.org/news/leg-2-onboard-updates