Sailing-Flying boats, double points and a lightning pit stop set stage for Portuguese Ocean Race thriller
(Reuters) -Flying boats, double points and a three-hour pit stop will bring high-octane sailing drama to Portugal this August as Matosinhos-Porto secured a coveted spot on The Ocean Race Europe route – with ocean health activism sharing the spotlight alongside sporting glory.
The Portuguese coastal destination will host a "Fly-By" on Aug. 20 during the second leg from Portsmouth to Cartagena, it was announced on Wednesday, with the high-tech foiling IMOCA boats making a brief three-hour stop at Porto Cruise Terminal before continuing their journey to Gibraltar and the Mediterranean.
The Fly-By represents a critical sporting juncture, awarding half the points for the double-scoring second leg.
"It's very special to know that The Ocean Race Europe is stopping in Matosinhos because I know I will feel the warmth of Portugal and the Portuguese people in this extreme and hard competition," said Mariana Lobato, the only female Portuguese sailor who competed in the last round-the-world race and who will now be racing with Team Paprec Arkea.
The announcement, made during an event at Porto Cruise Terminal, highlighted how the race will spotlight ocean health initiatives alongside the sporting spectacle.
"Few competitions can claim to connect Europe more completely than The Ocean Race Europe," said Richard Brisius, Race Chairman. "This is a race that truly connects our continent, from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, and into the Adriatic Sea."
The Ocean Race Europe 2025 will start from Kiel, Germany on Aug. 10, with stops in Portsmouth, Matosinhos-Porto, Cartagena, Nice, and Genoa before finishing at Boka Bay, Montenegro.
The race, launched in 2021, has swiftly become a marquee event on the offshore sailing calendar, delivering elite competition across Europe's iconic ports. Designed as a shorter, continental counterpart to the legendary round-the-world Ocean Race, it features cutting-edge IMOCA 60 and VO65 class yachts with mixed-gender crews tackling a blend of offshore legs and coastal sprints.
The IMOCA 60 is a cutting-edge 60-foot (18-metre) yacht known for its speed and ability to "fly" above the water using foils, while the VO65 is a 65-foot (20-metre) one-design conventional monohull boat built for strength, speed and close competition.
The inaugural edition saw Portugal's Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team clinch victory in the VO65 class, while Offshore Team Germany triumphed in the IMOCA 60 category. Beyond the fierce racing, the event underscores a commitment to environmental advocacy, leveraging its platform to champion ocean health and sustainability initiatives across the continent.
(Editing by Toby Davis)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
34 minutes ago
- The Star
Soccer-Four-week break among recommended player safeguards as part of new soccer study
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -A four-week off-season break should be mandatory for professional soccer players, with two of those weeks to be a blackout period with no communication with club or national team, according to a new study. Seventy medical and performance experts agreed on 12 safeguards as part of the study released on Thursday by global players' union FIFPRO to protect players from calendar congestion and excessive workload. The safeguards include a minimum four-week retraining period after an off-season break before a return to competition. "Decoding the human body, performance, and sport-related injuries will be a lifelong scientific exercise for all of us," said Darren Burgess, chair of FIFPRO's High-Performance Advisory Network. "However, the results of this study show that there are certain minimum standards such as adequate rest between matches, and proper off-season breaks, that are common sense, aligned with scientific evidence and, above all, required by global occupational health and safety standards." The study's release comes days before the expanded FIFA Club World Cup kicks off in the United States amid player welfare concerns after an exhausting European season. FIFPRO are calling for the immediate implementation of the safeguards which also include a minimum four-week retraining period after a close-season break before a return to competition, and travel fatigue management which would mean rest periods after long-haul flights. Players should also have a mandatory one-day off per week during the season and there should be a one-week mid-season break with no club or national team travel, training or media commitments. FIFPRO are also calling for specific workload safeguards for academy players under the age of 18. More than 75% agreement was required amongst participants to establish each recommendation. While some safeguards exist under the collective bargaining agreements of some countries, international football lacks standardized regulations, FIFPRO said. The study's Delphi methodological approach was an electronic survey conducted from February to March 2025, involving experts working in the performance or medical team in men's professional football. Seventy-three percent of the experts are employed by football clubs, with 27% working for national teams. "If we can all agree that health comes first, then we should take steps to implement these safeguards," said FIFPRO's Medical Director Vincent Gouttebarge. In October, FIFPRO, the European leagues' group and Spain's LaLiga filed a joint complaint to European Union antitrust regulators, accusing soccer's global governing body FIFA of "abuse," concerned about the impact of the expanding football calendar on player wellbeing. (Reporting by Lori Ewing)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Cricket-South Africa fight back but still trail Australia by 91 runs in WTC final
Cricket - 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final - South Africa v Australia - Lord's Cricket Ground, London, Britain - June 12, 2025 South Africa's David Bedingham in action Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers LONDON (Reuters) - South Africa fought back at the start of the second day of the World Test Championship final against Australia but had captain Temba Bavuma dismissed before going to lunch on 121-5, still trailing by 91 runs. South Africa were in a precarious position at 43-4 overnight after Australia's pace attack had run through their top order, leaving them trailing by 169 runs after the defending champions scored 212 in their first innings. But Australia's hopes of more cheap dismissals on Thursday morning were stymied by Bavuma and David Bedingham as they employed a more attacking approach to their batting and put together a 64-run partnership before Bavuma was dismissed. The skipper went for 36 after driving into the covers and being caught by a diving Marnus Labuschagne off Pat Cummins, who had figures of 2-24 off 14 overs. Bavuma, whose innings included the first six of the match, had survived an lbw decision earlier when he was on 17 and trapped by Josh Hazlewood. He took his time before deciding to review the umpire's decision, suggesting he did not hold out much hope of having it overturned, but the snickometer showed he had got bat to ball. Bedingham was 39 not out, after hitting two boundaries in the last over before lunch, along with Kyle Verreynne on 11. Verreynne had earlier nicked a Beau Webster delivery but it fell short of the slip cordon. South Africa's batting had none of the nervous defensiveness they showed at the start of their innings on Wednesday but runs still came slowly as they moved into three figures in the 45th over. (Editing by Toby Davis)
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Ryanair says will fine ‘disruptive passengers' 500 euros
LONDON: Irish no-frills airline Ryanair said Thursday it will fine 'disruptive passengers whose unruly behaviour' results in their removal from aircraft 500 euros ($580). Europe's biggest airline by passenger numbers has previously hit out at 'unruly' behaviour caused by travellers consuming excessive amounts of alcohol while waiting to board delayed flights. 'Ryanair is committed to tackling unruly passenger behaviour for the benefit of its passengers and crew, and will continue to pursue disruptive passengers for civil damages, but at a minimum, they will now be issued with a 500-euro fine,' Ryanair said in a statement Thursday. A spokesperson added that the penalty 'will be issued to any passengers offloaded from aircraft as a result of their misconduct'. Ryanair in January said that it had incurred costs of 15,350 euros as a result of a 'disruptive passenger' on board a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote, in Spain's Canary Islands, last year. This was because the plane had to divert to the Portuguese city of Porto, where the passenger was arrested, and the more than 160 other travellers on board were provided with overnight accommodation and meals. Ryanair said it faced other costs, including the need for additional fuel and crew. The airline filed civil legal proceedings against the passenger in Ireland to recover its outlay. At the same time, it called on the European Union to limit the sale of alcohol at airports. Ryanair transported more than 200 million passengers in its last financial year to the end of March. It forecasts that the number will rise to 300 million by 2034.
