News

After repairs, the 'Holcim' set off from the Knierim Yard in Kiel on Aug 14 at around 10:30 p.m., the 'Allagrande' entered the Kiel Canal on Aug 15 at around 6 a.m., both yachts destinated to Portsmouth, where the second leg of the Ocean Race will start on Aug 17. Everything must now be right for the teams to arrive in England on time for the start of the second leg: The route from Kiel to Portsmouth is around 500 miles. However, the wind forecast looked good. The other five Imoca yachts have already arrived in Portsmouth; the French team Biotherm won ahead of German sailor Boris Herrmann. Mapei and Holcim would need a victory in Spain to have a chance at the title in the remainder of the race. After the second leg, the protest hearing will determine who was responsible for the collision Kiel. The case is complicated.

On Aug 11, 2025, at around 11 p.m. the United States Coast Guard Northern Sector Great Lakes was notified that the 'Radcliffe R. Latimer' had experienced an engine room fire while underway in Canadian waters near the US-Canada border and Whitefish Bay. The crew was able to extinguish the fire using its installed CO2 system, but they were originally drifting without power. They have since been able to anchor with a tug assisting about five nautical miles southeast of Ile Parisienne. The Coast Guard responded with a 45-foot response boat from Sault Ste. Marie, which got on scene just as a safety standby. There wrre 21 crew members on board the vessel. There were no injuries reported, and the station's small boat reported that there were no signs of pollution in the water. Currently, the Canadian authorities were taking the lead on this case by putting together a plan for the disposition of the vessel for a transit plan.

After repairs, the 'Holcim' set off from the Knierim Yard in Kiel on Aug 14 at around 10:30 p.m., the 'Allagrande' entered the Kiel Canal on Aug 15 at around 6 a.m., both yachts destinated to Portsmouth, where the second leg of the Ocean Race will start on Aug 17. Everything must now be right for the teams to arrive in England on time for the start of the second leg: The route from Kiel to Portsmouth is around 500 miles. However, the wind forecast looked good. The other five Imoca yachts have already arrived in Portsmouth; the French team Biotherm won ahead of German sailor Boris Herrmann. Mapei and Holcim would need a victory in Spain to have a chance at the title in the remainder of the race. After the second leg, the protest hearing will determine who was responsible for the collision Kiel. The case is complicated.

The "Allagrande Mapei Racing" and the "Holcim PRB" are scheduled to return to the starting line on Aug 17, just in time for the start of the second leg of the Ocean Race in Portsmouth, England. However, at least 500 nautical miles and several repairs still separate the yachts from the starting line. The Team Mapei is currently waiting. The spare parts needed after the crash are to be transported to Kiel and installed on board. To make this possible, the Italians have now changed berths. Instead of the Reventlou Bridge, the high-speed yacht is now berthed in the City Marina at the Ostsee Quay. Team "Biotherm" had set up its berth on the pontoon next to cruise berth 28 before the start of the race. The team led by skipper Ambrogio Beccaria is currently near the boat, waiting for the delivery of the necessary spare parts. In addition, further tests are being conducted to detect possible structural damage. The "Holcim PRB" team, with Dutch skipper Rosalin Kuiper, also wants to get back into the race quickly. Work has been underway at the Knierim shipyard pier on the Kiel Canal since the morning of Aug 11. The section of the yacht's hull that was torn open during the crash was removed since. The shipyard workers and members of the Holcim team have prepared the installation of a fitting piece. A mold is being built for this piece at Knierim, into which the new hull section will then be inserted according to the boatbuilder's specifications. The repair of the "Holcim PRB" is progressing. The damaged section of the hull has been removed. The new section is now being manufactured at Knierim. The material is carbon fiber, and Knierim has appropriately trained boat builders and equipment for processing it. They were doing everything they can to ensure the Holcim arrives in Portsmouth on time, according to shipyard manager Steffen Müller. His crew is partly made up of regatta sailors who have participated in major races. Shipyard manager Gunnar Knierim was a long-time member of the 'Pinta' crew. The shipyard on the Channel has experience with racing yachts. The winner of the Volvo Ocean Race, "Guyot Environnement," was built there. If the yachts sail from Kiel through the Kiel Canal, it would be 500 nautical miles to Portsmouth, which would take the two teams just under two days. The route around the northern tip of Denmark near Skagen is around 900 nautical miles, which allows for quick sailing. It is unclear which route both teams will take.

The 'Sada Maru No. 38' was in collision with a yacht on Aug 13, 2025, at 8.15 a.m. The captain has been arrested by the Japanese authorities after the fatal accident off Tsukumi City, Oita Prefecture. The aggregate carrier transporting gravel struck the yacht amid poor visibility. The captain of the vessel notified the incident to the Japanese Coast Guard, stating that the yacht had disappeared and was believed to have sunk. The Coast Guard launched a large-scale rescue operation involving one aircraft and six patrol boats. After two hours of searching, the body of a 70-year-old man was recovered and later pronounced dead at the hospital. Witness interviews confirmed that he had been alone on the yacht at the time of the collision. The Coast Guard suspected the vessel did not slow or stop and that the captain failed to take proper precautions. The four other crew members aboard the carrier are being interviewed to investigate the cause of the accident further.