The Polish yacht WindWhisper gave no chance to her rivals in the first leg of the legendary regatta The Ocean Race. The participating crews had a straight line distance of 1,900 miles to cover – from the coast of Alicante in Spain to Mindelo in the Cape Verde archipelago.

“We won the first leg of The Ocean Race. And it was a very difficult, challenging and surprising stage. I don’t think anyone expected how brutal it would be. With wind gusts reaching 52 knots, even the smallest mistake could have cost us a great deal. Despite the extreme conditions, the whole team gave it their all and did not let us down at any point during the race. I think that with this victory we proved to everyone that combining youth and experience is a recipe for success. We have not yet said our last word. Now it’s time for a well-deserved rest and celebration”, said WindWhisper Racing Team skipper Pablo Arrarte.

The winning crew is a mix of young competitors from Poland and experienced ocean sailors. A risky mix, but one that offers the chance to develop and compete with the best.

“I don’t think we could have dreamed of a better start to this regatta. For us, this victory is a celebration of many months of hard work and preparation. Our young and very talented Polish sailors have shown with this victory that it is possible to work together on board and compete on the start line with the legends of sailing, without any complexes. I am incredibly proud of the whole team that made it all possible”, says Magda Makowska, CEO of WindWhisper Racing Team.

This is not the end of The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup. Participants in the VO65 class regatta will return to competition in June. WindWhisper Racing Team has established a great position ahead of the two remaining stages to be sailed. The main trophy will be won by the best team after three races: Alicante – Mindelo, Aarhus – The Hague and The Hague – Genoa.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński