The French IMOCA team Biotherm, captained by Paul Maille, won the fifth and final leg of The Ocean Race Europe – a 1.600 nautical mile route from Genoa, Italy to the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro – confirming a spectacular overall victory in the five-week, 4.500 mile race around Europe.
Biotherm crossed the finish line in Boka at 21:13:33 local time, having completed the route in seven days, eight hours, 33 minutes and 13 seconds, earning another seven points in the overall standings.
Having won the first three legs, with maximum bonus points at the through gates, and finished third in the fourth, the French team amassed a total of 48 points, an unassailable lead and making them champions of The Ocean Race Europe 2025.
From the start, when the fleet of seven ships set sail from Genoa on Sunday 7 September, Biotherm was in the lead group on an extremely demanding route that led down the west coast of Corsica and Sardinia, south of Sicily, and then north through the Adriatic to the finish in Boka.
The first two days with almost no wind were difficult for all crews who were searching for even a thermal breeze along the coasts of Italy and France, while the rest of the stage was marked by almost continuous storms with thunder, showers and spectacular lightning, as well as fast "foiling" moments with speeds of up to 34 knots.
There was bad news for the teams Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive (commanded by Pip Hair from Britain in this leg) and Team AMAALA (Switzerland/Saudi Arabia, Alan Rura), who got stuck in the weather zone of the transition and missed the strong downwind winds enjoyed by the leading boats.
Biotherm took the lead after the tour of Sicily and has since waged a smart tactical battle, following the moves of its main rivals in predominantly windy conditions.
Although Joaan Rishom's Paprec Arkéa tried to break away towards the eastern coast of Albania in the last 24 hours in an attempt to overtake, Mejla and his crew, co-pilot Amélie Grassi (France), Benjamin Feré (France) and Carlos Manera (Spain), stuck to their strategy and closed both the stage and the entire competition in style.
On shore, Mejla admitted that he hadn't had time to gather his impressions yet, but he immediately praised his crew and the entire team on land:
"I'm happy to share this victory with the crew first. It was a two-hour sail to the finish line and we had time to celebrate together. Now we're celebrating with the land team as well, and that's important, because this victory is half on the water, half on the shore. The organization was incredible, the preparation of the boat was impeccable, we didn't break anything during the month and a half, and that allowed us to get the most out of the boat."
He recalled that the heart of the Biotherm team was formed during the 2022–23 Ocean Race around the world:
"We gained a lot of knowledge and experience. It was difficult, we had a lot of problems, but we learned and now we have a strong team."
When asked about the key to success, he emphasized how important The Ocean Race Europe was to them.
"We had been preparing for over a year, even before the Vendée Globe. We focused only on this competition and that was the deciding factor."
He added that success is not the result of one factor, but a combination of several.
"The land team, the technical improvements on the boat, the construction itself – Biotherm is particularly fast in the transitions from light to strong winds, in light conditions and calm water. We worked a lot on the boat during the winter. The crew was extremely motivated, we all wanted to win since Kilo."
Co-pilot Amelie Grassi said they particularly enjoyed the final stage, even though victory was not certain.
"I can't believe we won the last stage. It's a huge achievement and I'm very proud of the whole team. We didn't plan on winning this many times, the goal was to win overall. I'm overjoyed."
Since navigator Sam Goodchill was not on board for the final leg, Grassi took over his role.
"It was a big responsibility, but I think I handled it well, also thanks to the experience I gained working with Sam. We made sensible choices, not too risky, but enough to stay ahead of the pack."
Second in Boka was the Swiss Team Holcim – PRB Rozalin Kuiper in 23:32:13, after a spectacular return from over 100 miles south of Sicily.
"We are overjoyed. Coming back from 150 miles behind is huge. We found ourselves in a windless zone where the fleet had stopped, and managed to get back into the game. A great result."
Third place went to the German Team Malizia of Boris Herman, who crossed the finish line in 01:26:09. Navigator Will Harris said:
"This was an extremely difficult stage, with huge ups and downs. We can be proud to have finished third, even though the conditions were not our ideal."
The Italian Allagrande Mapei of Ambrogio Beccaria came in fourth (03:25:37), while the Paprec Arkéa of Joaan Rishom was fifth (04:06:45), whose risk along the Albanian coast did not pay off.
After five stages, Paprec Arkéa remains second overall, but only half a point ahead of Team Holcim – PRB. Everything will be decided in the final coastal race on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive and Team AMAALA are still battling for sixth place and are expected to arrive on Tuesday.
As a reminder, from September 15th to 21st, the final race of The Ocean Race Europe 2025 Boka Bay awaits us in Tivat. During that week, the city will live in the spirit of the sea and sailing, from the arrival of the most modern IMOCA sailboats and meetings with the crews, through exciting regattas near the coast, to a rich program in the Ocean Live Park with music, workshops and entertainment for all generations.
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