The Ocean Race 2022-23 LIVE: 11th Hour Racing Team seal Leg 6 victory in The Hague to extend overall lead

ByEurosport

Updated 11/06/2023 at 14:48 GMT

It's a remarkable three leg wins in a row now for 11th Hour Racing Team as they managed to fend off their closest pursuers - Team Holcim-PRB and Team Malizia - to take Leg 6 victory in The Hague. They are now two points clear in the overall standings ahead of the Grand Finale to Genova. Stream The Ocean Race 2022-23 live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com.

'Incredible moment!' - Dutch King and Queen climb aboard Team Malizia during end to Leg 6

11th Hour Racing Team sealed Leg 6 victory of The Ocean Race 2022-23 in The Hague to extend their overall lead in the competition.

It was a closely fought end to the leg, but the American team edged out Team Holcim-PRB and Team Malizia to take the maximum five points which puts them two ahead of Holcim-PRB in the overall standings with just the Grand Finale seventh leg to go.

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Follow all the latest developments in The Ocean Race 2022-23 below...

Sunday June 11

15:30

Now for some shots of the crews arriving port-side in The Hague...

The Ocean Race 2022-23 - 11 June 2023. 11th Hour Racing Team crossing the finish line in The Hague.

Image credit: Other Agency

The Ocean Race 2022-23 - 11 June 2023. The IMOCA and VO65 fleets arrived to the Ocean Live Park in The Hague.

Image credit: Other Agency

The Ocean Race 2022-23 - 11 June 2023. Team Malizia celebration the third position of the Leg 6 in The Hague, Netherlands.

Image credit: Other Agency

13:20

So, after today's results, where do we stand in terms of the overall IMOCA race standings?

1. 11th Hour Racing Team: 33 points
2. Team Holcim-PRB: 31 pts
3. Team Malizia: 27 pts
4. Biotherm: 19 pts
5. Guyot Environnement - Team Europe: 2 pts

Check out the full breakdown here for both IMOCA and VO65 classes.

13:10

As well as the IMOCA class, the VO65s have also been racing today, and here is their finishing order:

1. WindWhisper Racing Team
2. Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team
3. Team JAJO
4. Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova
5. Viva Mexico

12:45

The last IMOCA boat has now crossed the finish line in The Hague; Guyot Environnement - Team Europe coming in fifth, one hour and five minutes down on winners 11th Hour Racing Team.

12:40

Here's that "incredible moment" a little earlier that saw King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands climb aboard Team Malizia to ride into shore in The Hague.

'Incredible moment!' - Dutch King and Queen climb aboard Team Malizia during end to Leg 6

12:35

Confirmation that Biotherm have crossed the line in fourth place, 50 minutes and 29 seconds behind winners 11th Hour Racing Team.

12:30

The first three boats have now made their way to the dock in The Hague, and there is a rapturous reception for all of them, especially the only Dutch sailor in the race, Rosalin Kuiper of Team Malizia. What a welcome home!

12:20

Watch as 11th Hour Racing Team discover they have won Leg 6 of The Ocean Race...

Watch celebrations onboard 11th Hour Racing Team as Leg 6 victory is confirmed

12:10

We're hearing exclusively from winning skipper Charlie Enright now.

"It was a short one [leg], but not a lot of sleep proportionally speaking," he tells Eurosport.

"We're psyched, it was intense from the start to the finish. Unbelievable, can't believe it, just keep on rolling.

"It lived up to the billing, two boats within a mile of each other with 30 miles to go is insane. Everybody a great job."

And on 11th Hour Racing Team's chances of overall victory, he added: "Winning three legs in a row won't mean anything if we don't close the deal."

12:05

In a sense of how close the racing was, runners-up Team Holcim-PRB finished 12 minutes and 23 seconds down on winners 11th Hour Racing Team, while the gap between third-placed Team Malizia and Holcim-PRB was just one minute and 20 seconds.

11:50

Team Malizia cross the line in third to make up the podium...and they have quite the welcome as the Dutch King and Queen have just clambered aboard their boat! What an incredible moment!

11:40

And now high fives onboard Team Holcim-PRB as they confirm their runners-up spot.

Yoann Richomme, part of the French boat's crew, says: "It's a bit disappointing, we knew we had to get a victory on this one.

"We were close, I think we sailed well for a new crew that didn't know the boat before the start, learned a lot.

"We'll try to be better next time, but it's a bit of a sour taste."

11:30

Celebrations onboard 11th Hour Racing Team can only mean one thing - they've done it! They win Leg 6 Of The Ocean Race 2022-23!

They crossed the finish line at 11:26:52 UK time to make it three leg wins in a row. What a performance!

11:20

They are nearly there...

11:10

We're hearing now from Briton Simon Fisher of 11th Hour Racing Team as they bid to seal Leg 6 victory, with just a matter of miles to the finish line.

"Few nervous moments in the last few minutes, but hopefully we'll be all good," he says.

11:00

We are into the home stretch...

10:45

Those watching our live stream (above!) will be able to see a fleet of boats surrounding 11th Hour Racing Team as they approach The Hague - with their lead still so slim, can they hold on for a dramatic win?

10:30

We are down to the last nine miles of the leg but the winds have dropped, thus slowing speeds down to around six knots, and giving hope to the challengers behind 11th Hour Racing Team...

10:25

These really are some magnificent shots from a glorious morning in the North Sea...quite aside from the scenery, Leg 6 is not over yet!

10:20

On their way to winning a third leg in a row and extending their overall lead in the race? It's looking promising for Charlie Enright and his team...

10:10

11th Hour Racing Team can smell the finish line...but can they hold off Team Holcim-PRB?

09:50

How about this! Just look how close the battle for the lead is as the boats approach The Hague...

We are in for a grandstand finish!

09:30

We are just hours away from the first arrivals in The Hague! But who will be crowned Leg 6 winners?

There's a battle royale at the front as The Ocean Race gears up for its latest Super Sunday...

Saturday June 10

21:40

11th Hour still have the lead, but only just. Holcim-PRB are 2.71nm back.

11th Hour were able to hold off that earlier challenge but they will be conscious they cannot slip up.

In third spot is Team Malizia, 13.54nm behind, then Biotherm on 22.42 and GUYOT 27.29.

19:50

The Ocean Race YouTube show is out with all the latest news and analysis.

17:20

The lead is barely there now, for 11th Hour Racing. They're just 1.91 nautical miles clear of Holcim-PRB, with Holcim a couple of kts quicker.

15:20

'Every time there is hope, there is disappointment' - The Ocean Race - Daily Report 10/06

14:00

Away from The Ocean Race make sure to check out what is going on with the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. You can follow our live blog here!

13:30

Let's hear from one of the skippers as we prepare for some tight racing going past Denmark today.

"We're just at the top of Denmark trying to squeeze by a little Traffic Separation Scheme," said Charlie Enright on Saturday morning, the skipper of 11th Hour Racing Team, the leading boat in the IMOCA fleet appearing visibly fatigued. "We've got Team Holcim-PRB in sight this morning. We did a nice job stretching on them last night but they've come back into us. But we're in good shape, spirits are high, even if people are tired... But I think we only have about 30 hours left so we will gut it out."

10:45

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09:00

Here's how things stand! Let's take a look at how things stand going into the day.

Friday June 9

18:15

After leaving Kiel, the race is on to the Hague and 11th Hour Racing continue to lead the way. They hold a lead of over five nautical miles from Holcim - PRB, with Biotherm in third.

16:40

Team Malizia are the final team to make the mark in Kiel and all five boats are now heading out to sea and towards the Hague.

16:30

GUYOT environnement-Team Europe will take the mark before Team Malizia. It is a big moment for the crew who earlier this week did not know whether they would be on the start line for Leg 6.

16:20

Team Malizia are a long way back on the leaders, but are coming into Kiel to a big reception from the spectator boats. They are bringing good pace into the mark.

16:05

Biotherm are going along very nicely and appear to be making ground on Holcim - PRB in front of them, having just gone round the mark.

"It was the neatest mark round we have seen today," said Dee Caffari on Eurosport commentary.

15:50

Holcim-PRB are approaching the turn and then they will be on their way to the Hague. Biotherm are in third behind them.

15:41

Holcim-PRB haven't needed to jibe once, compared to the team of 11th Hour, which could translate to some gains along the way.

15:27

The IMOCA of 11th Hour will pass Holcim-PRB first, who have at least passed the lighthouse, but they are on their way to the Hague.

15:25

The final jibe for 11th Hour approaches, but they have now jibed away from the mark.

15:12

Holcin-PRB are getting close to Kiel, but 11th Hour are well ahead, close to the turning mark.

15:07

A change of wind has seen the chasing pack trundle along at a fraction of the pace of 11th Hour. That means the lead is getting even bigger.

15:00

11th Hour past the lighthouse now.

14:45

11th Hour speeding up now, almost touching 23.4KN.

14:35

11th Hour are racing away at 12 knots, with Holcim-PRB at 9.2. They are enjoying a big advantage here.

14:25

11th Hour are 8.5km clear of Holcim-PRB in second, with Biotherm 10.4km back.

Guyot environnement - Team Europe are 13.2km away, and Malizia 15km back.

We can see that there are other boats around the port right now, which might affect the wind, with spectator boats warned to stay clear.

14:15

11th Hour Racing Team are continuing to lead the way here, and they'll be in the fjord soon. They have a lead of around seven miles.

14:00

We're expecting some fairly slow speeds in the fly-by at Kiel, which is a fairly busy port at most times.

13:00

We're an hour away from regular coverage as we prepare for the fly-by passage in Kiel, which starts at 2pm UK time.

12:00

Here's our latest video update, on the action so far.

'A premium on concentration' - The Ocean Race Daily Report 09/06

09:10

Today you will be able to watch today's stream of the fly-by in Kiel for free.

That starts at 14:30 UK time.

Thursday June 8

22:30

Thigs are extremely tight in the race to the Hague, which was widely predicted due to the conditions the boats are encountering. Four teams are in close contention, with Team Malizia continuing to play catch-up after blowing the start.

20:40

With the teams out in the sea, things have tightened up and it is GUYOT environnement who have edged into the lead.

Team Malizia have made up the ground lost from the false start to move into second, but it is extremely tight.

!1th Hour Racing were fastest from the start, but have slipped back to fifth - albeit the field is extremely congested.

18:40

In a pleasing development for the crews, the wind picked up as the teams headed out to sea.

18:30

After blowing the start, Team Malizia are finding it tough to make up ground in the conditions. At 18:30 they were over 700 metres behind the leading boat of 11th Hour Racing. Biotherm are operating well in the light breeze.

18:15

11th Hour Racing Team have passed Mark 3 with a sizeable advantage over their rivals.

17:50

The second lap has been cancelled due to a lack of wind. 11th Hour Racing Team still lead the way.

“It is a matter of focus and patience for the sailors right now,” Caffari said.

17:25

11th Hour Racing Team made an excellent start and charged ahead of Biotherm and Holcim - PRB. After blowing the start, Team Malizia were playing catch-up.

17:15

The race is underway, albeit slowly with the lack of wind causing issues for the teams at the start. Disastrous start for Team Malizia who break the line early.

17:10

The five-minute mark has just ticked past and the teams are jockeying for position. With little wind, positioning is important right now.

16:58

The Guyot crew are looking forward to getting underway after a difficult few days.

16:40

Dee Caffari is on analysis for Eurosport and was delighted to see Guyot environnement make the start line after suffering major issues. “They are ready to go,” Caffari said.

16:20

Final preparations are being made by the IMOCAs, with their leg due to start in a shade under an hour.

16:05

Team Jajo continue to deliver and were the first through the leaving gate as the VO65 fleet depart Aarhus and head for the Hague.

15:50

Team JAJO lead for now.

15:20

The VO65 Sprint Start has begun.

14:00

Here's the tight schedule for the upcoming race.

12:05

"A tactically complex leg" is what to expect from the sixth part of this race, with laps of the square inshore course to come, before they head to the tip of Denmark.

After that they'll head to a mid-point in the North Sea before returning to the Danish coast, before they head off to the Hague.

“We have looked carefully at the weather forecasts and have decided to add two virtual marks into the course in order to have the fleet finishing in The Hague on Sunday afternoon,” explained Race Director Phil Lawrence.