The five sailors of the Holcim-PRB flying monohull, launched in May 2022, crossed the finish line at 1:01 a.m. local time (3:01 a.m. French time) more than two hours ahead of the Americans on 11th HourRacing.

The crew of Team Malizia, helmed by the German Boris Hermann, completed the podium in the early morning.

"The boat is brilliant. It's a first victory (...) after a very nice single-handed Rum (4th in Imoca, editor's note)! It doesn't bode well, it doesn't mean anything about the final result, there still a lot of work behind but it rewards all the work of a team", rejoiced on arrival Kevin Escoffier, 42 years old.

The native of Saint-Malo, for whom this is the third participation in this prestigious race created in 1973, sailed for this leg alongside a cast of 5-star sailors, including the Briton Sam Goodchild and the winner of the last Solitaire du Figaro Tom Laperche.

"There were a lot of new things for all of us on this leg between Alicante and Mindelo, especially the fact of sailing together! It was a very nice new experience. We managed to function well," said Sam Goodchild.

The crews of Paul Meilhat (Biotherm) and Benjamin Dutreux (Guyot Environnement) were due to arrive in Cape Verde on Saturday.

This is the first time in the history of the race that the Imoca, famous monohulls of the Vendée Globe, have taken part in The Ocean Race (ex-Volvo Ocean Race).

The second leg, between Mindelo and Cape Town (South Africa), will begin on January 25 and will allow sailors to continue trimming their sailboats before tackling the fearsome southern seas.

The last edition of the race around the world, contested in 2017/2018, was won by the Dongfeng team (China), led by the French skipper Charles Caudrelier.

Aboard the ship was already a certain... Kevin Escoffier.

© 2023 AFP