Crunch.. After more than 1,300 nautical miles, four days of racing and a wide range of weather conditions and tactical decisions, the results for Leg 1 went all the way down to the wire. Just six hours before the finish the weather front that had swept in from the west forced the fleet to re-group as if re-starting the race for a final drag race to the finish off Cascais, Portugal. Aside from a rapid and frequent change in positions across both the IMOCA60 and VO65 fleets, the closing stages of the race included 'a kiss' when 11th Hour collided with Ambersail-2. The crew of 11th Hour Racing acknowledged the situation and performed their penalty turns immediately. Some of the skippers in the fleet reflect on what proved to be an extraordinary opener to The Ocean Race Europe. © The Ocean Race 1973 SL

Video Producer: VR Sport Media