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The Malizia at the start of the Ocean Race
Photo: Loic Venance / dpa
On the morning of the final day, Boris Herrmann's team Malizia had regained the lead on stage two of the circumnavigation.
In the end, however, it was not enough for Malizia - Seaexplorer skipper Will Harris and the crew under the German flag for a podium place in Cape Town.
Herrmann was not on board for the second of seven legs due to an injury.
As in the first round, the Swiss team Holcim – PRB with skipper Kevin Escoffier and Olympic silver medalist Susann Beucke from Strande secured victory on the second stage from Cape Verde to Cape Town.
At her ocean race premiere, the 31-year-old was the only German to arrive in port as the winner after 17 days, 19 hours and 9 seconds.
A different course than the competition had deprived the Malizia team of the chance to win.
When the hoped-for wind failed to materialize for the German boat when heading for the stage port on Sunday morning, the competition in the north pushed past.
Behind Team Holcim – PRB, the French »Biotherm« and the US team »11th Hour Racing« crossed the finish line.
»Malizia – Seaexplorer« was expected as the fourth boat in Cape Town on Sunday afternoon.
Then the "Guyot Environnement - Team Europe" with the Berlin skipper Robert Stanjek is expected as the fifth and last yacht.
After more than 500 nautical miles behind, »Guyot« had come up strong again in the stage final with a last 30 nautical miles gap to Team Malizia.
Boris Herrmann, who is represented on this stage by the Briton Harris, was awaiting his team in Cape Town.
Shortly before the end of the first section, the 41-year-old suffered a severe burn on his foot from boiling water.
The »Malizia-Seaexplorer« completed the first stage over 1900 nautical miles from Alicante to Mindelo/Cape Verde in five days, 16 hours, 35 minutes and 21 seconds and thus took third place.
In total, the five crews that have started have to cover 60,000 km around the world over a period of six months.
ara/dpa
