It could have been one of the tightest of Ocean Races with the top two boats dueling till the finish. Instead, skipper Ben Schwartz and Holcim PRB are leading Leg 7, currently in second place with 31 points and skipper Charlie Enright and the 11th Hour Racing Team leading with  33 points are currently sailing to get back in the race, days after recoving from a crash that occured early in the leg.

Mālama rammed at the start of the Leg 7

Skipper Charlie Enright and the 11th Hour Racing Team leading the race with 33 points, were forced to retire after being knocked out of the race by European team Guyot environement, 17 minutes into Leg 7, which began on Thursday June 15. The European boat rammed into Mālama leaving a gaping hole in the side of the boat. 

“We did our best to avoid it,” said Enright after reaching the dock at The Hague. “I don’t want to speculate on what was going on on their side of the fence. We protested them as a result, and the umpires dealt with the racing rules of sailing.”

The European team was black flagged as the 11th Hour team requested a redress, a hearing by an international jury. 

After returning to The Hague, the 11th Hour tech and boatbuilding crews immediately set to work to repair the vessel in an attempt to sail to Genova, Italy, and participate in the Inport Race on July 1. 

Mālama was ready in just 72 hours and Enright and crew are currently beelining to Genova with news that their redress claim will be heard there on June 29.

“We were determined that this would not put an end to our campaign for The Ocean Race,”said Enright. “I hope it is far from over. It is a testament to the hard work of the entire team that we are able to get back out to sea.”

11th Hour still a chance for victory

Enright and the 11th Hour Racing Team can still win the Ocean Race if they are awarded enough points from the hearing, according Gloria Schiavi, an Ocean Race media specialist. If they are awarded enough points to even the race, then the Genova Inport Race will become extremely important as the tie breaker. 11th Hour leads the Inport series with 24 points, Team Malizia is second with 21, Biotherme is third with 16 points and Holcim PRB is fourth with 15. 

“We are very tight on time,” Enright acknowledged. “But we will do everything we can to get to Genova… It’s a race-within-a-race, and the countdown is now on.”