The Ocean Race, often described as the longest and toughest professional sporting event in the world, is at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28, to call for the ocean to be a key consideration in the vital climate negotiations and to highlight how sport and business can help to make a positive difference for the […]
The Ocean Race
About The Ocean Race
Since 1973, The Ocean Race has provided the ultimate test of a team and a human adventure like no other. For nearly 50 years, it has kept an almost mythical hold over some of the greatest sailors and been the proving ground for the legends of our sport.
The 14th edition of The Ocean Race will start from Alicante, Spain on 15 January 2023, and will finish in Genova, Italy early in the summer of 2023. The race will visit nine iconic cities around the globe over a six-month period (Alicante, Spain - Cabo Verde - Cape Town, South Africa - Itajaí, Brazil - Newport, RI, USA - Aarhus, Denmark - Kiel Fly-By, Germany - The Hague, the Netherlands - Genova, Italy) and will feature a leg with the longest racing distance in the 50-year history of the event - a 12,750 nautical mile, one-month marathon from Cape Town, South Africa to Itajaí, Brazil. The fleet of mixed crews will pass all three great southern Capes - Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn - non-stop, for the first time.
Along with five confirmed foiling IMOCA teams racing around the world, six one-design VO65 boats will race on three legs with an option to compete for a new trophy within The Ocean Race called The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup.
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11th Hour Racing Team is World Sailing’s Team of the Year with race documentary set to stream in USA on Max
Skipper Charlie Enright was on hand to pick up the Team of the Year prize at the World Sailing annual awards night held in Málaga, Spain on Tuesday evening. From January to July of this year, Enright led his 11th Hour Racing Team to a come from behind victory in The Ocean Race, demonstrating remarkable […]
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The Grand Finale in Genova brings The Ocean Race to a conclusion in style
The last day of racing in this 14th edition of The Ocean Race took place at the Grand Finale in Genova on Saturday afternoon. Sunny skies, very light and shifty winds and enthusiastic crowds on shore and on the water were the order of the day as this six month, around the world odyssey came to a […]
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Record number of female sailors took part in The Ocean Race 2022-23
The Ocean Race 2022-23 featured more female sailors than in any of the previous events in the Race’s 50 year history. Overall, across the five IMOCAs taking part in the round-the-world Race and the six VO65s taking part in the The Ocean Race Sprint, there were 39 female sailors, making up 28% of the competitors […]
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11th Hour Racing Team wins The Ocean Race
11th Hour Racing Team has won The Ocean Race 2022-23, the world’s longest and toughest team sporting event – the first time a US team has won in the 50-year history of the Race. The team was leading the overall race with just one leg to go, when, on June 25 in The Hague, just […]
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The Ocean Race: Protest and Redress hearings scheduled for Thursday
Team Holcim-PRB files protest against 11th Hour Racing Team Jury receives protest about start line incident from The Hague On Wednesday 28 June, Team Holcim-PRB filed a protest against 11th Hour Racing Team, relating to the collision at the start of Leg 7 involving GUYOT environnement – Team Europe. The protest is about Racing Rules of […]
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Team Malizia saves the best for last with a win in Leg 7 of The Ocean Race
The live finishes on Tuesday are available on the Eurosport YouTube Channel Team Malizia found a way to grab a last-minute win in leg 7 of The Ocean Race, saving the best for last. On the waters off the finish port of Genova, skipper Boris Herrmann and his crew boldly grabbed the leg lead in extremely light and variable conditions […]
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WindWhisper Racing Team wins Stage 3 into Genova to take The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup
WindWhisper Racing Team won the final leg of The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint into Genova, beating the rest of the fleet by a massive margin. The Polish boat crossed the finish line in just six knots of breeze at 10:27:52 UTC with a leg time of 10 days 23 hours 17 minutes and 52 seconds. With […]
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The Ocean Race: Genova is getting closer but there are still some challenging race miles ahead
If there wasn’t already enough urgency to get to Genova quickly, Ambrogio Beccaria is more desperate than ever. Not only is the Italian crewman on Team Holcim-PRB keen to reach his home country as soon as possible, vital provisions on the IMOCA are running very low. “Dude, there is no more Nutella,” he complains to […]
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The Ocean Race: Bold call pays small dividends for Team Holcim-PRB en route to Genova
Team Holcim-PRB made a break for the Algerian coast overnight on Friday, leaving the close-quarters match racing they’d been having with Biotherm and Team Malizia since before Gibraltar. At one point, they had gained nearly 100 miles of separation to the south – risky business in the light, shifting winds. But surprisingly, when the boats reconverged on Saturday morning off the Spanish coast, […]
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The Ocean Race: Close racing and close encounters
Following a frightening but ultimately harmless encounter with Orca killer whales off Gibraltar on Thursday afternoon – the MUST SEE video is here – attention is shifting back to racing on Friday. And with all the race boats now in the Mediterranean Sea, the action is spread across the width of the Med, from Europe to Africa. […]
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The Ocean Race – Orca encounter: “This was a scary moment”
Two of the VO65 boats racing in The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint have had direct encounters with orcas – killer whales – in the Atlantic Ocean to the west of Gibraltar on Thursday afternoon. Watch the video here (swearing alert!!) Team JAJO and Mirpuri Trifork Racing have both reported being approached by orcas around 1450 UTC. […]
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The Ocean Race: Team Holcim-PRB leading IMOCAs into Med, while WindWhisper is roaring towards Genova
It’s been a profitable 24 hours for Poland’s WindWhisper Racing Team who have escaped from the rest of the boats racing towards the Grand Finale in Genova and stretched out to a lead of over 150 nautical miles over their nearest pursuers in the VO65 fleet. In the short term, however, the forecast isn’t in their […]
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11th Hour Racing Team Redress hearing will be on June 29 in Genova
On Wednesday, Phil Lawrence, the Regatta Director for The Ocean Race, announced the World Sailing International Jury has provisionally scheduled the hearing for 11th Hour Racing Team’s Request for Redress on 29 June at 1000. It will be an in-person hearing, in Genova. Since the outcome of 11th Hour Racing redress hearing may affect all […]
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WindWhisper Racing Team leads both fleets toward the Med and grabs Vasco da Gama Mirpuri Foundation Prize
As skipper Daryl Wislang pushed his WindWhisper Racing Team across the line of 37-degress north latitude at 10:04 UTC on Wednesday morning, his team prepared to turn east towards the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea. By crossing this 37-degree latitude at the head of both fleets, Wislang’s team wins the Vasco da Gama Mirpuri Foundation […]
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The Ocean Race fleets are easing their way south
Nobody will be breaking any records on Tuesday in The Ocean Race. Light winds mean speeds are still modest for both IMOCA and VO65 fleets as they slide down to the south along the west coast of the Iberian peninsula. See all the latest content from the boats here “It would be nice to be going […]
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The Ocean Race: Roadblocks on the way to the Med
The VO65s are still leading the charge south, towards Cape Finisterre and the coast of Portugal. But at the moment, ‘charge’ should be considered a generous description. Boat speeds are often under 10 knots and the choice for the decision-makers on board is bleak – push south into lighter winds, or further west, away from the target. […]
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The Ocean Race – opening up
Both the IMOCA and VO65 fleets are finally free of the English Channel and into the more open waters of the Bay of Biscay / Celtic Sea / North Atlantic. The mission now is to leave the Bay of Biscay to port and run down the west coasts of Spain and Portugal before turning into the […]
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The Ocean Race: Teams battle light, challenging conditions
The five VO65s and three IMOCA boats racing to the Grand Finale in Genova are battling light and challenging conditions as they work to exit the English Channel and begin the next phase of the race, in more open waters. At 1000 UTC on Saturday morning, the VO65 fleet was tight and compressed togther, approximately […]
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The Ocean Race: 11th Hour Racing Team is focused on sailing to Genova
Following yesterday’s dramatic collision, skipper Charlie Enright and his 11th Hour Racing Team are working 24/7 to get their damaged boat in a position to sail to Genova. In a team statement, Enright said, “We are working around the clock to repair the boat as quickly as possible, and our intent is to sail to Genova […]
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The Ocean Race: Racing to the Grand Finale in Genova continues despite drama and shock of collision
All five VO65s left The Hague in full racing trim on Thursday afternoon, heading into Stage 3 of the VO65 Sprint… and there is an update on their positions further down. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the IMOCA fleet, where a dramatic collision has left three boats still on the course and racing towards Genova. […]
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The Ocean Race: Race leader 11th Hour Racing Team forced to suspend racing after hit from GUYOT environnement-Team Europe
The leader of The Ocean Race, 11th Hour Racing Team, has been forced to suspend racing approximately 15 minutes after the start of the final leg, after suffering extensive damage when they were hit by GUYOT envrionnement – Team Europe. The collision damaged both boats, which have returned to port in The Hague. No injuries were reported. […]
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The Ocean Race: Team JAJO wins the VO65 In Port Race The Hague – both fleets ready for The Grand Finale in Genova
The local heroes on the Dutch-flagged Team JAJO made a statement of intent right from the start of the VO65 In Port Race in The Hague on Wednesday afternoon by crossing ahead of the entire fleet on port tack, a high-risk, high-reward manoeuvre that allowed them to build a solid lead at the first turning gate. Behind them, the overall […]
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The Mirpuri Foundation celebrates the heritage of The Ocean Race
From its beginnings as the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973, to the current edition of The Ocean Race, this is an event that motivates people to achieve the extraordinary and drives change towards a healthier and more sustainable planet. “To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this race across the oceans, we have created […]
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The Ocean Race: GUYOT environnement – Team Europe lead the way in fast and furious foiling conditions
The Hague served up some of the best racing conditions the IMOCA fleet has seen in this edition of The Ocean Race on Tuesday afternoon. Bright sunshine and strong winds approaching 20 knots made for fast and furious foiling for the In-Port Race.Benjamin Dutreux’s GUYOT environnement – Team Europe hit the starting line at top […]
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The Ocean Race: 11th Hour Racing Team and WindWhisper Racing earn crucial wins
The result was in doubt until the final moments of leg 6, with 11th Hour Racing Team along with Team Holcim-PRB and Team Malizia racing within shouting distance of each other during most of Sunday morning. The final approach to The Hague required one short upwind section where the boats were criss-crossing within metres with each […]
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The Ocean Race: Coming together in the North Sea
The flying, foiling IMOCA fleet racing in The Ocean Race and the one-design VO65s competing in the VO65 Sprint both left Aarhus on Thursday, their race starts separated by two hours. And while the IMOCAs turned south to race into the Kiel Fjord in front of tens of thousands of fans on Friday, the VO65s […]
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The Ocean Race: Friday fly by in Kiel attracts enormous crowd to cheer on IMOCA fleet
The last time The Ocean Race was in Kiel, was on 9 June, 2002, and the German team, illbruck, was being celebrated for winning the Volvo Ocean Race. In the crowd was a young German sailor beginning his career – Boris Herrmann – and the event made a lasting impressions. “I used to live in Kiel, I […]
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10 boats race out of Aarhus towards The Hague in The Ocean Race
The Ocean Race returned to full strength in Aarhus, Denmark as the VO65 fleet rejoined the race for the European legs. On a beautiful Thursday afternoon – sunny skies, warm temperatures, light sea breeze – racing started with the stakes high for both fleets. First off were the five VO65s returning to race in the second stage of the […]
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The Ocean Race: Aarhus Leg start preview – the most complex leg yet
At 800 nautical miles, Leg 6 may be the shortest of the race but it is also one of the most complex. From the start in Aarhus the fleet will head south for a fly-by in Kiel before turning north to head back up the eastern side of Denmark. Once around the top of the […]
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Biotherm and WindWhisper are the winners on a day of comebacks in Aarhus
The sun was shining on Sunday, as it has been throughout the entire Aarhus stopover, and that meant a building sea breeze would be the order of the day for the In Port Racing programme. This marked the return of the VO65 class to The Ocean Race, as the fleet comes back to continue racing […]
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The Ocean Race: Aarhus In-Port Race set for Sunday showdown
Conditions in Aarhus have been incredible so far during the stopover and the sunny skies are forecast to continue into Sunday’s In-Port Race. Crowds have been enjoying the warmth and the city of smiles has been living up to its name. Sunday’s In-Port Race marks the return of the VO65 fleet as they resume the VO65 […]
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The Ocean Race: Fighting for a comeback in Aarhus
This story is published on behalf of GUYOT environnement – Team Europe The emotional rollercoaster ride for GUYOT environnement – Team Europe is over. After the dismasting near the American coast, the arrival at the port in Halifax, Canada and the shipping of the yacht to Europe, the team’s further participation in The Ocean Race […]
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The Ocean Race: Ocean microplastics found to be rife by teams sailing around the world
Preliminary results from the initial legs of the current edition of The Ocean Race show microplastics in each one of the 40 samples analysed so far, with as many as 1,884 microplastics per cubic metre (pm3)* of water in some locations. Samples analysed from leg two of the round-the-world sailing Race, from Mindelo, Cabo Verde […]
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The Ocean Race: Biotherm finish leg 5 on shortened course
In accordance with the Sailing Instructions, which allow the Race Committee to shorten the course for boats still racing, the finish line for Biotherm has been moved to longitude 0-degrees. The team then finished leg 5 at 10:37:50 UTC on Wednesday 31 May in fourth place, scoring 4 points for the leg. Their elapsed time for the […]
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11th Hour Racing Team win Leg 5, grab overall lead in The Ocean Race
Skipper Charlie Enright’s smile was as bright as the early morning sun in Aarhus, Denmark on Monday morning as he led his 11th Hour Racing Team to a first place finish in leg 5 of The Ocean Race. The win was doubly important; the transatlantic race is a double-points scoring leg and with the win, 11th […]
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The Ocean Race: Pressure on as leaders duel into Aarhus
Change may be coming to The Ocean Race. Since the opening leg from Alicante, Spain to Cabo Verde, skipper Kevin Escoffier and his rotating cast of characters on Team Holcim-PRB have been firmly positioned at the top of the overall race leaderboard. Now, with just over 250 miles left to the finish line in Aarhus, Denmark, […]
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The Ocean Race: Record-breaking pace towards Aarhus
Records are being set and then broken again on leg 5 of The Ocean Race. First it was 11th Hour Racing Team, powering to a new standard, only to be eclipsed a short time later by Team Holcim-PRB, who appeared to have secured not only a new race record, but the outright monohull record for […]
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VO65 fleet returns to race in The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint
The last time we saw the VO65 fleet in The Ocean Race was in January and the teams had just completed the opening stage of the VO65 Sprint, from Alicante, Spain to Cabo Verde. The Polish-flagged WindWhisper Racing Team won the race south from the Mediterranean out to the Atlantic, with Team JAJO and Austrian Ocean […]
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The Ocean Race: Team Holcim-PRB blows past distance records
This story has been updated at 1000 UTC Friday morning Skipper Kevin Escoffier and his Team Holcim-PRB have shattered the existing 24-hour distance records in the monohull class. First to fall was The Ocean Race 24-hour Speed Record Challenge sponsored by Ulysse Nardin, previously set at 602 nautical miles by Simeon Tienpont’s Team AkzoNobel in the […]
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The Ocean Race: Incident onboard 11th Hour Racing Team
By 11th Hour Racing Team At 1541 UTC on Thursday, May 25, while racing in Leg 5 of The Ocean Race, 11th Hour Racing Team activated its Hazard Button to alert Race Control and the wider fleet they had hit something, suspected to be a marine mammal or megafauna. The Team was in the mid-North […]
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The Ocean Race: Pushing towards a record
It’s going to be an interesting 24-hours in The Ocean Race as the leading trio find themselves in strong downwind reaching conditions and ‘relatively’ flat water – a combination that could produce a new 24-hour distance record. There are some great ‘go fast’ videos and photos in the content from the boats today 11th Hour Racing […]
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The Ocean Race: Dancing around the low
It’s been a bumpy ride for the past two days of The Ocean Race as winds in the 25-30 knot range interact with the currents of the gulf stream to make an uncomfortable and unpredictable sea state. Check out the latest content from the boats here Despite that, the leading trio have been racing north at […]
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The Ocean Race: Speeding towards the target
It’s been a fast 24 hours in The Ocean Race, with teams making around 500 miles towards the target of the finish line – Aarhus, Denmark in northern Europe. Check the content from the boats here The conditions are mostly favourable for making miles – reaching conditions in a north wind that is in the […]
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11th Hour Racing Team leads into the Atlantic
It’s 11th Hour Racing Team at the head of the fleet on Monday as the four racing IMOCAs push east into the Atlantic Ocean. After being squeezed between two Marine Mammal Exclusion Zones for much of Sunday night, the race course is beginning to open up now. Check out the latest content from the boats For […]
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Team Malizia wins Newport In Port Race and leads fleet towards the open Atlantic
Newport, Rhode Island earned its title as one of the great homes of sailing on Sunday providing beautiful conditions for the start of leg 5 of The Ocean Race. The sunshine returned with light southwesterlies and the crowds were out in force, both on land at Fort Adams State Park and at sea, pushing in on the margins […]
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The Ocean Race: Newport In-Port Race postponed
Due to deteriorating weather, Saturday’s In-Port Race in Newport has been postponed and will now be incorporated into the start of Leg 5. Safety is a top priority for The Ocean Race. With a forecast for increasing winds, deteriorating visibility and rain squalls with very strong gusts, it has been decided to postpone the In […]
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The Ocean Race: The fight for first starts in Newport
Four IMOCA teams will compete in the Newport In-Port Race on Saturday before heading off across the Atlantic as The Ocean Race leaves the Americas and returns to Europe. With just over one month before the Grand Finale finish in Genova, Italy, there is still no certainty at the top of the leaderboard, with three […]
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The Ocean Race: Biotherm complete the Leg 4 podium
Skipper Paul Meilhat and his Biotherm team had a long wait to get to the finish on Thursday morning in Newport, Rhode Island. With an initial ETA of 0530 local time, the light overnight winds nearly died completely with the sunrise, leaving the team to battle adverse conditions for a few more hours before they finally glided across […]
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The Ocean Race: 11th Hour Racing Team wins in hometown, with Malizia second, closing up the leaderboard
11th Hour Racing Team won Leg 4 of The Ocean Race, leading the fleet into their hometown of Newport, Rhode Island on a spectacular spring afternoon in New England. Skipper Charlie Enright was beaming as he stepped ashore, moments after his team held off Team Malizia to cross the finishing line for their first leg […]
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The Ocean Race: Final push to Newport sees 11th Hour Racing Team and Malizia fighting for first
Wednesday has dawned with a beautiful morning in Newport, Rhode Island. It’s a cool, crisp, spring day, with bright sunshine and clear blue skies. HOW TO FOLLOW THE ARRIVALS IN NEWPORT Unfortunately for the trio racing towards the finish line off Fort Adams State Park, the high pressure system clearing the sky today also brings light winds. […]
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The Ocean Race: GUYOT environnement – Team Europe dismasted in strong winds as 11th Hour Racing Team leads towards home port
The GUYOT environnement – Team Europe crew is safe and working on a jury rig after dismasting in a fierce north Atlantic storm overnight Monday night on the closing stages of Leg 4 from Itajaí, Brazil to Newport, Rhode Island. At 0243 UTC, while the team was racing in fourth place in gale force winds […]
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The Ocean Race: GUYOT environnement – Team Europe has dismasted, all onboard are safe
GUYOT environnement – Team Europe has dismasted in the north Atlantic, just over 600 miles east of Newport, Rhode Island. The team on board reports all crew are safe and are working to secure the boat. The team has been racing through challenging conditions, with gale force winds gusting above 30 knots. We will have […]
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The Ocean Race: Brutal hours ahead for the fleet
As the leading boats get within 600 miles of the finishing line off Newport, Rhode Island, the crews are preparing for a brutal afternoon and evening at sea. There is a weather front approaching with southwest winds forecast at 40 knots, gusting as high at 50 knots. If this weather comes through as predicted, it will […]
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The Ocean Race: Battling towards the finish
The competition level is high as 11th Hour Racing Team and Team Malizia duel towards the finish. “11th Hour Racing Team is just a few miles away and we’re doing everything we can to get ahead of them,” said Malizia skipper Will Harris. “The fight is still on. It’s been an intense fight for the last six […]
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The Ocean Race: Strange days at sea
While the IMOCA fleet is making progress towards the finishing line at Newport, Rhode Island on Saturday, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. 11th Hour Racing Team has now grabbed the lead back from Team Malizia as Charlie Enright’s squad squeezed ahead by about 5 miles on the leaderboard as they continue to tick down the miles towards their home port, […]
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The Ocean Race: Opportunity knocks
Team Malizia and 11th Hour Racing Team remain locked in a battle that appears destined to last until the finish line off Newport, Rhode Island is in sight. On Friday morning (UTC), first Malizia and then 11th Hour Racing Team put in successful gybes as the wind shifted south. The transition immediately showed as a benefit […]
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The Ocean Race: Malizia into the lead as teams speed north
The German-flagged Team Malizia has moved into the lead on leg 4 of The Ocean Race as skipper Will Harris and his crew charge north, marching nearly in lockstep with the previous leader, 11th Hour Racing Team. Conditions are favourable for high-speed sailing; reaching across the easterly wind in 15-20 knots of pressure, with a moderate, but building, […]
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The Ocean Race Europe will take place in 2025
As the current edition of The Ocean Race heads back into the northern hemisphere, race organisers are already looking ahead to the next major event in the 10 year planning cycle – The Ocean Race Europe 2025. Following the success of the inaugural event in 2021 – The Ocean Race Europe was among the first major international […]
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The Ocean Race: Bursting through the tropical squalls
On the race course on Wednesday, the top three teams are clustered together within 50 miles on the leaderboard, with 11th Hour Racing Team now leading Team Malizia and Biotherm. GUYOT environnement – Team Europe is further behind. Boat speeds are averaging near 22-24 knots and 24-hour runs are now near 500 miles. Tradewind sailing […]
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The Ocean Race: A dogfight the whole way up
On Monday evening (UTC) Team Malizia led 11th Hour Racing Team across the equator, as The Ocean Race returned to the northern hemisphere. But the margin was slim – just over two minutes separated the leading pair. “Hopefully we’re going to cross in first… by about 200 metres I would say,” said Will Harris from […]
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The Ocean Race: Rounding the corner, with the doldrums ahead
The USA lies to the north and Brazil is now in the wake of the four teams racing towards Newport, Rhode Island as the fleet has rounded the northeastern corner of Brazil. The next transition will be to cross what appears on the forecast to be a fairly benigh doldrums – the teams are far enough to […]
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The Ocean Race: Charging north towards the doldrums
Modeerate easterly tradewinds have provided a speedy 24 hours of racing for the four IMOCAs charging north towards the doldrums. 24 hour distance runs have nearly doubled (although are still far off a record-setting pace) as the wind has settled in around 12-14 knots. The result is a drag race directly north, where the teams […]
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The Ocean Race: Desperately seeking tradewinds
The four boats racing north are in a challenging position. The wind is very light and unstable. The result? 24 hour runs of less than 180 nautical miles. That might be a good day on a 35 foot cruising yacht, but it’s not what these IMOCAs were designed to do. One look at the tracker tells you […]
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11th Hour Racing Team leads close quarters racing, while Holcim-PRB heads for Rio
It’s been a long speed contest for the four IMOCA racing to the northeast, away from the Brazilian coast. For over 24 hours they had been racing close to the wind on port tack, heading offshore. As The Ocean Race meteorologist Christian Dumard notes: “Very shifty and unstable unpwind conditions…” But over the next 48 hours, […]
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The Ocean Race: Team Holcim-PRB has dismasted – all crew safe
Skipper Kevin Escoffier has reported his team is safe after dismasting during leg 4 of The Ocean Race. Team Holcim-PRB was racing approximately 20 miles off the coast of Brazil in moderate winds and sea state. The dismasting occurred just after 0500 UTC (0200 local time) on 27 April, on the fourth day of leg […]
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The Ocean Race: The inside track
The five IMOCAs in The Ocean Race fleet are short tacking up the coast of Brazil, squeezed between the land to the west and an exclusion zone to the east. With the wind coming from the north-northeast, which is the desired direction to sail towards, it means a lot of tacking and close quarters manoeuvering. The racing […]
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The Ocean Race: Hunting the breeze
It hasn’t been a straightforward start to leg 4 of The Ocean Race as the IMOCA teams zig-zag away from the coast of Brazil, seeking favourable conditions to the east, whilst keeping an eye on the overall goal of making miles north. Follow all the content from the boats here There’s also big picture weather […]
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The Ocean Race: Leg 4 opens with a drag race
It was GUYOT environnement – Team Europe sailor Annie Lush who said the opening days of Leg 4 would be a “trim off” and this is how it has come to pass. She was referring to the probablity the teams would be closely lined-up, drag racing one boat next to the other. Sail trim and […]
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11th Hour Racing Team and Malizia to duel for top spot on In Port leaderboard
The Itajaí In Port Race takes place at 1410 local time in Brazil on Friday afternoon (1710 UTC). HOW TO FOLLOW THE ITAJAÍ IN PORT RACE The forecast is for light winds, which could make for challenging and changeable racing on a course set near the currents from the Itajaí-Açu River. After two In Port […]
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Crew changes mark start of second half of The Ocean Race
Crew rotation is proving to be a big feature in this edition of The Ocean Race. For Leg 4, some big crew changes are afoot, for two of the teams in particular. We’re pretty much at the half-way stage of the race, with approximately 55% of the points still remaining, so if you’re going to […]
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The Ocean Race: Indigenous voices lead calls for the ocean’s rights to be recognised
Speaking earlier today at The Ocean Race Summit Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil, Eunice Kerexu -Secretary of Environmental and Territorial Indigenous Rights of the Indigenous People Ministry of Brazil- warned that indigenous rights and better governance are critical for the success of ocean protection initiatives. “We have a lot of respect for the ocean,” said Kerexu, who spoke […]
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The Ocean Race: Stories of resolve and resilience as 11th Hour Racing Team and Biotherm finish in Itajaí
As skipper Charlie Enright put it, this wasn’t the finish they wanted, but it was a massive achievement all the same. He was referring to a third place result in Leg 3 for 11th Hour Racing Team, who battled increasing amounts of damage to their boat from the first moments after the start in Cape Town all the […]
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The Ocean Race: Biotherm battling for third
The podium battle promises to push the two teams still racing up the coast to the very end with Biotherm and 11th Hour Racing Team racing within less than 15 miles of each other on the leaderboard. It’s slow but steady progress to the north with Biotherm set up to the west of 11th Hour […]
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The Ocean Race: Duel remains for leg 3 podium position
With leg 3 winner Team Malizia and second-place finisher Team Holcim-PRB safe in Itajaí, the battle on the water for third place has closed up dramatically over the past 24 hours. Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm crew has realised an incredible gain on 11th Hour Racing Team over the past 24 hours, making up nearly 100 miles on the […]
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Team Holcim – PRB retain overall lead with strong Leg 3 performance
The Ocean Race leaderboard is beginning to take shape after two teams crossed the finishing line in Itajaí on Sunday morning. The Leg 3 winner is Team Malizia. Led by skipper Boris Herrmann, the Malizia crew fought hard for the win, which was in play until the final 24 hours. It’s a remarkable achievement for a […]
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Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia wins Leg 3 of The Ocean Race
At 05:20:28 UTC / 02:20:28 local time in Brazil, Team Malizia glided across the finish line off Ocean Live Park in Itajaí to win Leg 3 of The Ocean Race, collecting 5 points in the process. The win comes on the 35th day of racing and after 14,714 nautical miles of intense, close-quarters racing. Early in the leg, […]
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The Ocean Race: A last hard kick on the way to Itajaí
There will be a live feed of the leg 3 finish from Itajaí on the Eurosport.com blogs about The Ocean Race – details below.================================================= It was the last thing they needed. A quick, deepening low pressure system bringing winds in excess of 40 knots, a sickening sea state, and another massive challenge for sailors operating on the 34th […]
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The Ocean Race: Tension mounts as racing remains painfully close
Tension, exhaustion, and extreme emotional swings through elation and despair. That’s likely to be the mood on board Team Holcim-PRB and Team Malizia all the way to the finish now. Despite racing hard for over 33 days and over 14,000 miles sailed over ground, neither Boris Herrmann’s Malizia, nor Kevin Escoffier’s Holcim-PRB crew have managed to […]
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Team Malizia neck and neck with Team Holcim – PRB after more than a month of racing
As the calendar ticks over to the 33rd day of competition on Leg 3 of The Ocean Race, Team Malizia and Team Holcim-PRB are as close as ever. On the 1200 UTC tracker update, the pair were separated by less than 5 nautical miles on the leaderboard. And it’s a tense time, with very changeable conditions. “We’ve […]
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Northern progress for The Ocean Race fleet
After passing Cape Horn and escaping the south, the big weather challenges haven’t quite ended for The Ocean Race sailors yet. The leading pair – Team Malizia and Team Holcim-PRB – found themselves in what Malizia’s Will Harris called some of the most challenging weather of the leg when they turned north. Gale force winds and sharp, […]
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The Ocean Race moves back into the Atlantic
Team Malizia continues to head the leaderboard in leg 3 of The Ocean Race after leading the fleet around Cape Horn. On Tuesday it was 11th Hour Racing Team (12:55 UTC) and Biotherm (15:25 UTC) who took their turn passing the iconic landmark and joining the exclusive list of offshore sailors to have rounded the Horn. Check […]
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The Ocean Race: Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia lead fleet around Cape HornThe Ocean Race:
Team Malizia, who were contemplating a return to Cape Town after mast damage in the first days of leg 3, and who approached Cape Horn today nursing an injured crew member, have overcome all these obstacles and more to lead The Ocean Race fleet past the iconic landmark. Boris Herrmann, skipper of Team Malizia, commented on this, his fifth passing of […]
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Team Malizia’s Rosalin Kuiper suffers a head injury near Cape Horn – she is conscious, stable and recovering
The following information is from Team Malizia At around 0900 UTC on 26th March Rosalin Kuiper suffered a head injury after she fell from her bunk when the boat turned and slammed unexpectedly in heavy sea conditions. Rosalin was off watch and sleeping when the boat wiped out due to a large wave off the […]
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The Ocean Race: Lining up for the Horn
The teams have the end of the hardest part of the longest leg in the history of The Ocean Race in sight. An epic drone ‘movie’ from Team Malizia On Friday afternoon UTC, the most iconic of landmarks to offshore sailors – Cape Horn – lies just over 1000 miles to the east. But those […]
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The Ocean Race: Big conditions ahead on the way to Cape Horn
For 50 years of The Ocean Race, sailors have considered the Southern Ocean leg, the racing that takes place between Cape Town and Cape Horn, deep in the southern latitudes, as the biggest milestone in the event. Rounding Cape Horn marks the end of the southern conditions, where deep low pressure systems follow one after the […]
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The Ocean Race: From Point Nemo towards Cape Horn
The Ocean Race fleet passed Point Nemo just after 17:30 UTC on Tuesday afternoon, leaving the most remote and isolated place on the ocean in their wake. It likely didn’t feel as isolated as it usually would. All four boats passed the waypoint within a span of 23 minutes and at the head of the fleet, Team Malizia just […]
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The Ocean Race: Close together, far from home
The four IMOCAs charging towards Cape Horn are approaching Point Nemo on Tuesday. Defined as the most isolated, remote place on earth, Point Nemo is a spot in south Pacific Ocean, 2,688 kilometres from the nearest land. In fact, the closest sign of civilisation is the International Space Station, orbiting just over 400 kilometres above the sailors. But it […]
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The Ocean Race: Back up to speed
The four IMOCAs pushing east through the southern latitudes of the Pacific Ocean are seeing better speeds today, following a weekend of light winds. Racing along the ice exclusion limit at 52-degrees south, the teams are in 15 to 25 knots of wind, and average speeds are back up near 20 knots. And it is still incredibly, impossibly close racing – […]
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The Ocean Race: All lined up with one way to go
On Saturday it seemed as if the race couldn’t get any closer. By Sunday morning UTC that was proved wrong. Today, all four teams are lined up on a 13 mile line extending north to south, but separated by less than 3 miles on the leaderboard. All this after three full weeks of racing. The reason for the close […]
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The Ocean Race: Coming together in the not-so-furious
As forecast, lighter than usual conditions just ahead of the fleet have provided an effective re-start of leg 3, just after the four IMOCAs reached the halfway point of the longest stage in the history of the race. These are unusual conditions for the ‘Furious 50s’, the waters in the latitudes south of 50-degrees where strong winds and […]
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The Ocean Race: Steady progress towards Cape Horn
Team Holcim PRB retains its lead on Thursday, as the fleet compresses to within 100 miles. As per the forecast yesterday, the leader is slowing slightly and the trailing boats are nibbling into the lead, but little has changed in the big picture over the past 24 hours. “We knew that everyone would close up on us from behind […]
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The Ocean Race: Speed bumps ahead
Near midnight UTC overnight on Tuesday, Team Holcim-PRB made yet another gybe to the south, looking to stay close to the ice exclusion zone. Its nearest competitor – Team Malizia – continued pushing to the east, and for the first time since the start and the Cape of Good Hope, over two weeks ago, there […]
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The Ocean Race: Repairs and racing along the ice limit
Following the distribution of points at the scoring gate on Sunday, teams are now consolidating their positions and working through job lists to keep the boats in racing condition. On Monday evening, 11th Hour Racing Team revealed the latest challenge for their crew to overcome – a badly torn mainsail, along a load-bearing seam of […]
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The Ocean Race: Back to the grind
It’s back to work Monday for the IMOCA sailors in The Ocean Race. Following record breaking conditions on Saturday and the leg 3 scoring gate on Sunday, the workaday grind sets in again with Cape Horn still nearly two weeks away. In case you missed it, on Saturday all four boats blasted past the existing 24 […]
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The Ocean Race: Speeding to the East
There has been more of the same in The Ocean Race on Friday – but in a good way. All four teams are clicking down the miles, racing to the east in fast reaching conditions. The wind is up, the water is still (relatively) flat, and the miles keep sliding away under the keel. The fleet continues […]
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The Ocean Race: Closing time
It’s been a fantastic 48 hours on the race track for the trio of boats chasing down the current Leg 3 leader, Team Holcim-PRB. Since 1500 UTC on Tuesday, second-placed Biotherm have gained nearly 250 nautical miles. The lead is still significant – at 170 miles – but certainly far less secure than earlier in the week. The […]
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The Ocean Race: A long reach east towards Tasmania
With all four teams sailing deep into the Roaring 40s, the full fleet is finally in what the sailors would consider to be more typical Southern Ocean conditions, with strong winds from a series of low pressure systems propelling them relentlessly east. The leader, Team Holcim-PRB, has made a dive to become the boat furthest […]
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The Ocean Race: Tense times in the south
It’s an interesting day in The Ocean Race with quick moving weather making for a day of transitions in the southern latitudes. The big winner over the past 24 hours is second placed Biotherm, who have gained over 30 miles on Team Holcim-PRB. See on board Biotherm with Sam Davies At the other end of the […]
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The Ocean Race: Making Miles
As Team Holcim-PRB continues to set the standard, racing at speed towards the first scoring gate at 143 degrees east longitude, three other boats are – finally – in fast pursuit. Biotherm, 11th Hour Racing Team and Team Malizia needed to dive as far south as the edge of the ice exclusion zone to find the wind, […]