Conrad Colman’s career in offshore sailing is full of firsts - he was the first New Zealander to do the Route du Rhum, the first to take part in the Solitaire du Figaro and the first to complete the Vendée Globe (twice).

Now he is about to be the first Kiwi skipper to compete in the Ocean Race Atlantic, which sets sail from New York for Lorient on Tuesday. And, more significantly than that, he will be leading the first all-New Zealand team ever to race in IMOCA.

It’s all part of Colman’s dream of taking part in the next Ocean Race around the world, which starts in January, and he is using the Ocean Race Atlantic not only to pass on his experience in IMOCA racing to a new generation of his countrymen and women, but also to show potential commercial partners the opportunity they have to get involved.

Column has selected three of what he calls Auckland’s young “rockstars” for this race on board the 2007-vintage MSIG Europe, none of whom have any prior IMOCA experience. Megan Thompson, 28, was New Zealand Sailor of the Year in 2025 and is a world class match racer; Aaron Hume-Merry, 38 is an Olympic classes national champion in New Zealand and an experienced offshore sailor; and Anna Merchant, 27, can call on a mixed racing background, including match racing, foiling and offshore racing.

© Georgia Schofield

They got together in Lorient just in time for the 12-day delivery to the USA, which Colman described as a “big training block,”and it sounds like they had a blast. “It really showed me that I had made a fantastic choice for my crew,”said Colman, 42. “We had an absolutely unbeatable vibe on board with a lot of learning in both directions.

“You know, I am really excited to continue learning from Megan, Aaron and Anna - they are kind of young rock stars in Auckland and they have skills and experience that they bring to the table. But equally, I can pass on my experience that I have accumulated on this boat, having sailed her for the last four years and completed transats and raced around the world.”

The goal for this team in the Ocean Race Atlantic and the build-up to the start is not just to have fun, but to showcase to future potential commercial partners what this project is all about and the opportunity that exists to get involved. Colman has been supported by the leading insurance provider MSIG Europe for the past four years, but he needs at least two more major partners if he is to make the startline of the Ocean Race which has been a dream of his for years.

“We are working on this tirelessly,”he told the Class from New York as he prepared for Tuesday’s start. “One of the reasons we came to the Ocean Race Atlantic was to get prospective partners and sponsors on board - we are absolutely in sales mode to try and unlock the next level of support.”

Colman knows that in this 3,200-nautical mile race he and his crew, on an old daggerboard-configured warhorse, are up against five much newer foiling machines, including two of the very latest designs in DMG Mori Global One and Team Malizia. The New Zealanders are going to struggle to stay with the fleet, but Colman has come to terms with this and - true to his irrepressible character - sees only positives in their participation.

“It is inescapable that we have a boat that’s 20 years old,”he said. “The contrast in performance is certainly evident for everybody to see, but the way we are approaching this mentally and emotionally as a team is that we are here to build something new and to demonstrate an incredible opportunity that has not existed for Kiwis.

“And yes,” he continued, “we are probably going to be left behind at the startline if there is anything more than 10 knots of wind, but it’s still better to be in the game than on the couch. The miles that we are doing at the moment, and the training and transmission of skills that we are doing with the team, are incredibly valuable, and it’s nice to be here taking steps to move our team forwards.”

We asked MSIG Europe skipper what would be a good outcome in this tough sprint across the north Atlantic. “Our good outcome,”he explained, “is, within the team, that we all have a good time, that we all feel that we are moving the ball forward, and that we are learning from each other and raising our collective game. That’s the principal objective. 

“The secondary one - which is equally important - is that we are able to demonstrate our potential to future partners that will allow us to maintain and grow the programme.”

Ed Gorman