The Ocean Race Atlantic is set to bring out the best of a strong IMOCA fleet

The Ocean Race Atlantic will bring together the leading offshore sailors in the world this September, as a fleet of IMOCA boats races from New York to Lorient in a high-intensity transatlantic showdown. That was the message delivered at an inauguration event held in Lorient, France on Thursday this week.

This is a new chapter for The Ocean Race, introducing a fully-crewed, gender-balanced format (two women and two men, plus an on board reporter) on a point-to-point race course designed to showcase the best the sport has to offer.

“This is the time of the event build-up that I love as everything begins falling into place when we start to meet the sailors and teams,” said Johan Salén, Director of The Ocean Race. “We’re looking ahead to a fantastic start in New York and then an incredible arrival in one of the meccas of ocean racing, here in Lorient.”

At the heart of The Ocean Race Atlantic is a simple but powerful concept: each four-person race crew is split equally between women and men, racing flat-out across the Atlantic. The format reflects a broader shift in the sport and builds on a trend from recent editions of The Ocean Race, where teams have been incorporating more balance into crew selection and giving more opportunities to female sailors.

For sailors, the appeal is clear. “It’s a completely mixed crew race… which is really positive and I’m glad to be able to take part,” said Justine Mettraux, sailing with Germany’s Team Malizia. “We will need to be on form from the start and try to have a good transatlantic race.”

Beyond the sporting challenge, The Ocean Race Atlantic reinforces Lorient’s position at the center of global offshore racing. The Breton port is home to a dense ecosystem of teams, designers and marine industries and will host the finish during a wider celebration of the sport.

“For us, it was a source of pride and an obvious choice to host this great event,” said Fabrice Loher, the Mayor of Lorient. “It is a wonderful gift for the people of Lorient… a chance to bring the public to meet the modern heroes who cross the oceans.”

The Ocean Race Atlantic also carries a broader purpose, through the event’s Racing for the Ocean sustainability and inclusion initiatives developed and implemented with Impact Partner 11th Hour Racing. Teams will contribute to ocean science and knowledge through data collection, and the Ocean Live Park in Lorient will feature youth activities and ocean literacy activities, while the race crews demonstrate the power of diversity and opportunity.

“I’m very excited and happy to be competing in The Ocean Race Atlantic this summer. It’s a format I love, the 50-50 crew, female/male, as a way to really increase the opportunities for female sailors in our sport,” said Francesca Clapcich, the skipper of Team Francesca Clapcich powered by 11th Hour Racing from the USA. “The transatlantic route holds a personal significance as a race that really connects my two worlds: starting in New York and finishing in Lorient. It will be a good fight on the water.”

The fleet itself is a representation of the global reach of The Ocean Race, with teams and sailors spanning Europe, the United States, and Asia, and combining experienced race veterans with emerging talent.

“In fact, it is a great challenge for us to prepare for this race,” said Kojiro Shiraishi, the skipper of the Japanese-flagged DMG Mori team. “It will be new for us to race as a crew of four after so many single-handed events and we have built a new boat, so it is a very exciting time and we are happy to take on The Ocean Race Atlantic.”

“For us, The Ocean Race Atlantic is like the start of a new campaign cycle,” said Oliver Heer, the Swiss skipper of the team bearing his name. “We've made some changes to upgrade our boat and I think there's no better way to start than with a transatlantic race west to east with a crew on board. The feedback loop is very fast when you sail with an experienced team on board… and I believe I'm the only guy on the boat who hasn't done The Ocean Race yet, and so I will definitely be in learning mode with my team!”

New Zealander Conrad Colman announced his MSIG Europe team this week and says he’s keen to give opportunities to sailors like himself who are inspired to compete at the highest levels offshore.

“I originally came to Lorient so I could have an opportunity to race around the world solo and I've now done two of those successfully,” he said. “But it was the Whitbread, the Volvo, and now The Ocean Race that really inspired me to become a sailor. So this marks the start of something new for us, an opportunity to get more New Zealand sailors in the IMOCA space, starting with this race.”

The sailors were speaking at an inauguration event for The Ocean Race Atlantic held at the new Maison des Skippers facility in Lorient on Thursday afternoon. Paul Meilhat, the winner of last summer’s The Ocean Race Europe wasn’t able to attend but is working on his team for the Atlantic event which starts in New York on 1st September with the ETA for the fleet to arrive in Lorient on 9th September.

As we look ahead to this upcoming epic transatlantic challenge, The Ocean Race Atlantic promises a compelling new event: linking continents, demonstrating the power of sport to inspire change, and providing an iconic sporting challenge for the sport’s most ambitious and accomplished sailors and teams.