Sunday afternoon on the Kiellinie promenade in Kiel had the feel of a festival. Fans packed the waterfront, spectator boats jostled for position in the fjord, and warm applause carried across the water. After days of sailor parades, speed runs, and fine summer weather, the seven-boat IMOCA fleet lined up for the start of Leg One to Portsmouth. Nobody anticipated that the race's first drama would arrive within a single mile of the gun.
Commentators had flagged wind farms, rocky coastlines, and tidal gates as the tactical obstacles to watch. The fleet itself turned out to be the first one.
With only seconds to go, Team Holcim PRB, sailing under its new skipper Rosalin Kuiper, sat slow and perfectly timed near the line, carrying starboard rights as it bore down toward the rest of the fleet. Just above, Allagrande Mapei Racing, with Ambrogio Beccaria on the helm, came in hard under a large masthead sail. The breeze strengthened. Holcim PRB powered up, foils gripping. Mapei heeled sharply.
The gap between them vanished.
Holcim PRB broached and momentarily lost control. Mapei's large headsail tore, apparently catching on Holcim PRB's rigging.
The collision left a gash in Holcim PRB's port hull. Onboard footage later showed crew members staring down in disbelief as water hissed through the fractured laminate.
Both boats turned back toward Kiel with shore crews waiting. Beccaria, visibly deflated after returning to the dock, gave a frank assessment. "I don't have any answer. I'm sad to be back here now," he said. "Especially because the team made a huge effort to be here and we only did one mile of the race. It's super sad for our competitor also… We're not alone in this story. We're checking the boat. For sure we will not drop out until there is no chance. It doesn't seem easy but we will see."
Kuiper was equally direct. "We had to retire from the race because of damage to our hull. It is very disappointing for our entire team, and for Allagrande Mapei and for The Ocean Race as well. We are going to assess the situation, see what can happen and make a plan from there. At the moment we are focused to get the boat ready, repair the boat ASAP and be on the starting line, hopefully, in Portsmouth… We will overcome this. We have a very strong team. I wish I wasn't here now but that's the situation."
Phil Lawrence, Race Director for The Ocean Race Europe, confirmed that both crews had suspended racing while the extent of the damage was evaluated. "At this stage we understand both teams are hoping to rejoin the race and we should know more about this on Monday," he said. "A formal protest has been filed by Team Holcim PRB against Allagrande Mapei Racing and this matter will be handled by the International Jury at a time to be determined."
News reached supporters almost immediately. Holcim PRB's Facebook page posted a FLASH NEWS update within minutes of the incident, confirming both crews were safe and both boats were heading back to harbour. Several hours later, a follow-up post confirmed that Holcim PRB had been moved to another berth "to best assess the next steps," signed off with a plaster-heart and flexed-arm emoji. Beccaria's own contribution to social media was considerably briefer: a photo and a sad face.
The response from fans was immediate and warm. "Tonight it gets repaired, tomorrow you set off again. Courage," one wrote. "Never give up… the start is always uphill," said another. Four-leaf clovers and expressions of support filled the comments, with one follower admitting the collision had taken their breath away. Others were less forgiving, questioning how two boats could come to grief before the race had properly begun.
While the damaged pair returned to the dock with repair crews swarming over the hulls, the remaining five boats pushed on into the Danish straits. Biotherm was first through the Kiel Lighthouse scoring gate, collecting two bonus points, with Paprec Arkéa taking one point for second. Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive came through third, ahead of Malizia and Team Amaala.
Out on the water, Paprec Arkéa was logging sustained foiling runs above 25 knots, a vivid demonstration of the pace and precision the fleet would need across the full 4,500 nautical miles ahead. Leg One was expected to take three to four days to reach Portsmouth, where the teams would regroup before tackling the longest stage of the race on to Cartagena.
The days leading up to the start had been full of confidence and anticipation. Race Chairman Richard Brisius had described the course as "one of the most challenging we've ever seen." Skippers had spoken about respecting their competitors and finding their rhythm through what promised to be a fast, six-week sprint across European waters. Nobody had planned for the first dispatches to concern damage assessment and jury proceedings.
Offshore racing has always been as capable of delivering heartbreak as it is of producing glory. For Holcim PRB and Allagrande Mapei Racing, the immediate goal is a repair fast enough to reach the Portsmouth start. For the boats already racing, the opening mile delivered a sharp reminder that in The Ocean Race Europe, everything can change before the coast has even disappeared from view.
