| Coefficient | 7 |
|---|
| Format | 5 crew members + 1 on board reporter |
|---|---|
| Distance | 38 000 milles (70 376 km) |
| Race track | Alicante, Cabo Verde, Cap Town, Itajaì, Newport, Aarhus, The Hague, Genoa |
| Race director | Phil Lawrence |
| Organizer | The Ocean Race |
| IMOCA reference time | NC |
The Ocean Race is often described as the longest and most extreme sports event in the world. Formerly known as the Whitbread Round the World Race then the Volvo Ocean Race through until 2018, the famous crewed round the world event with stopovers has just been rechristened The Ocean Race. The first edition dates back to 1973-74. Back then, seventeen crews (six of which were French) took the start from Plymouth of a four-leg round the world race.
Twelve editions later, the race proved to be an emotional rollercoaster ride once again with the closest finish in its history. On 24 June 2018, the crew on the Chinese boat Dongfeng Race Team skippered by Frenchman Charles Caudrelier took the win in The Hague (Holland), just 16 minutes ahead of the Spaniards on MAPFRE after 45,000 miles and nine months of racing around the globe.
Raced on VO65 one-designs in 2014-15 then again in 2017-18, the next edition is scheduled to start in Alicante (Spain) in 2022-23 and heralds the arrival of the foiling IMOCAs helmed by five sailors accompanied by an on-board reporter. Meantime, the VO65s will begin their third circumnavigation of the globe with the emphasis being placed on youth teams and mixing of the sexes. Several skippers from the IMOCA class have already expressed an interest in The Ocean Race 2022-23, including German skipper Boris Herrmann (registered), Charlie Enright (registered) and the Frenchmen Paul Meilhat.
The Ocean Race 2022-23
To be confirmed - Prologue Race(s): September to December 2022
Alicante, Spain - Leg 1 start: 15 January 2023
Cabo Verde - ETA: 22 January; Leg 2 start: 25 January
Cape Town, South Africa - ETA: 9 February; Leg 3 start: 26/27 February (TBC)
Itajaí, Brazil - ETA: 1 April; Leg 4 start: 23 April
Newport, RI, USA - ETA: 10 May; Leg 5 start: 21 May
Aarhus, Denmark - ETA: 30 May; Leg 6 start: 8 June
Kiel, Germany (Fly-By) - 9 June
The Hague, The Netherlands - ETA: 11 June; Leg 7 start: 15 June
Genova, Italy - The Grand Finale - ETA: 25 June, 2023; Final In-Port Race: 1 July, 2023
Charlie ENRIGHT
Paul MEILHAT
Boris HERRMANN
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•••French sailor Nicolas Lunven joins Boris Herrmann, Will Harris, Rosalin Kuiper and Antoine Auriol for The Ocean Race 2022-23. They will compete with the brand new IMOCA race yacht Malizia-Seaexplorer.
•••Back on the water - Boris Herrmann’s offshore sailing team launched their new race yacht as scheduled on 19 July, after 18 months of innovative design and construction.
•••In the fast-growing world of IMOCA sailing, there are all sorts of teams – French, international, large, small, well-funded and not so – but one that stands out right now is the group behind the charismatic German skippe…
•••n the sixth part of this series, IMOCA and The Ocean Race get the low-down on a crewed round-the-world race that has been a genuine technological laboratory, from the first edition in 1973-74 to the most recent in 2017-1…
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