The fifth and final stage of The Ocean Race Europe is proving grueling for the crews. As the teams race the week-long leg from Genova to Boka Bay

The fifth and final stage of The Ocean Race Europe is proving gruelling for the crews. As the teams race the week-long leg from Genova, Italy to Boka Bay in Montenegro, the Mediterranean is throwing everything at them, from unpredictable weather patterns to numerous thunderstorms. The fleet is expected to arrive in Montenegro on Monday, September 15.

After passing through the Santo Stefano Scoring Gate, The Ocean Race Europe teams pushed south at a high pace on Leg 5 on Wednesday.

They are now facing very unstable conditions and numerous storms, demanding huge amounts of effort on board. It was Yoann Richomme’s Paprec Arkéa team who took two points for leading through the Leg 5 Scoring Gate ahead of Team Allagrande Mapei Racing in second.

While Team Holcim-PRB (fifth) has dropped back from the leaders significantly, only about 10 miles separate the leading quartet, with Team Malizia holding a slight edge as of Wednesday morning.

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The sailors had almost forgotten that the Mediterranean could also show this face - unpredictable and punishing. After 48 hours of light winds followed by a long, fast run towards Sardinia, the teams have once again been confronted with the instability that so often defines the Mediterranean Sea.

Corentin Horeau (Paprec Arkéa) described it as "a strange day" when recalling Monday’s events: "We had quite a few thunderstorms, the wind suddenly jumped from 20 to 40 knots, we had some wipeouts, it was shifting right then left… "

Team Biotherm during leg 5

Image credit: The Ocean Race

Holcim-PRB dropped from leading group

It took all their focus as storm cells seemed to chase the leaders through the evening and into the night. In such conditions, "it’s hard to keep the boat moving properly," admitted Corentin. Yet that’s exactly what all the crews set about doing, and their progress shows they certainly don’t lack the motivation or skill to make the most of the challenging weather patterns.

Yesterday, everyone passed through the Santo Stefano Scoring Gate after a dynamic duel between Paprec Arkéa and Allagrande Mapei Racing, who were separated by less than a minute at the crossing. They then pushed further south, passing the Balearic Islands.

The gaps widened: while Team Amaala (seventh) and Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive (6th) fell significantly behind, Holcim-PRB (fifth) also failed to stay with the four leaders. By Wednesday morning, skipper Rosalin Kuiper and her team were 140 miles back.

Stormy conditions onboard Team AMAALA during The Ocean Race Europe

Image credit: The Ocean Race

Two options, then a regrouping at the front

Within the leading pack, two distinct strategies emerged by late afternoon. On one side, Paprec Arkéa and Allagrande Mapei Racing, setting the pace, chose to continue pushing south.

On the other, their pursuers Team Malizia and Biotherm opted for a more easterly route. "We simply tried a more southerly line in the hope of finding a bit more wind," explained Corentin Horeau. In any case, all were averaging over 20 knots through the evening. Some shore teams even reported particularly brutal conditions on board.

During the night, the top four regrouped south of Sardinia, with a slight advantage to the Team Malizia–Biotherm pairing and by 0700 this morning, it was Boris Herrmann’s boat that had taken the lead in the rankings.

But the gaps are tiny: the top four are within 10 miles of each other and the battle remains intense, showing no sign of slowing down in the coming hours.

"We’ll keep having storms and a very uncertain situation at least until tonight, maybe even Thursday morning," warned Corentin Horeau. On board, the watchword is clear: hold on and keep pushing as hard as possible.

How to follow The Ocean Race Europe

The Onboard update show

With more onboard technology and more access to the sailors than ever before, a brand-new show, Onboard, has launched and is now available to stream on discovery+.

New episodes will air at 19:00 UK time every Tuesday and Friday on TNT Sports and discovery+.

The official tracker

The brand-new official Ocean Race Europe tracker, allowing viewers to track the fleet in real time, is available on The Ocean Race website.

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