Oliver Heer Ocean Racing launches Vendée Globe 2028 campaign with foiling IMOCA and UK base
by Oliver Heer Ocean Racing 17 Feb 07:00 GMT
Oliver Heer © Richard Mardens
One year after Oliver Heer became the first Swiss-German sailor to complete the solo, non-stop, around the world Vendée Globe race, Oliver Heer Ocean Racing announces the official launch of the team's second Vendée Globe campaign, starting a new chapter focused firmly on progression and a competitive performance in the 2028 Vendée Globe.
The launch represents a clear change in gear from Heer's first Vendée Globe programme, transforming hard-earned experience into a structured, ambitious campaign built to compete at the highest level of team and solo ocean racing, and showcasing Swiss determination on the global stage.
The foundations for the campaign are now firmly in place with a foiling boat secured, a growing team in place and a new base established in the UK, where Heer previously spent over a decade building his early professional career.
The team's bold move to move away from a single title partner and establish an innovative portfolio sponsorship approach is already gaining traction. Several founding partners have been secured to launch the campaign, while opportunities remain open to new partners wishing to join the journey towards the Vendée Globe 2028.
Two Swiss partners committing their support are the Bossard Group and Burgerstein Vitamine.
Bossard Group joins the programme as Technical Partner, with Florian Heuter, General Manager Bossard Germany & VP Products & Engineering commenting "We will be working closely with Oliver and the team to identify and integrate the best suited fastening elements and access solutions across the boat and associated equipment."
Tanja Zimmerman CEO of Burgerstein Vitamine adds "We are delighted to continue our partnership and build upon the success of Tut gut in the previous Vendée Globe."
Underlining his performance ambitions, Heer has secured a modern foiling IMOCA, designed to fly above the water at incredible speeds. Formerly owned by fellow Swiss sailor Justine Mettraux of TeamWork-Team Snef, the boat has a proven race pedigree and finished 8th in the 2024 Vendée Globe.
Moving to a foiling IMOCA is the equivalent of stepping from a high-performance sports car into a Formula one racing machine - exciting, demanding and requiring a whole new level of preparation. The boat is currently undergoing a comprehensive refit in Lorient, France with Team Beyou Racing, followed by a period of handover and training in France, before heading to the UK.
The first major milestone of the new campaign will be The Ocean Race Atlantic, a brand new, fully crewed transatlantic race for the IMOCA class. Starting in New York on September 1st and finishing in Europe. This race will provide the first opportunity for Heer to test his team and the boat and benchmark his performance against the rest of the highly competitive IMOCA fleet.
Oliver Heer, Skipper, said: "Crossing the finish line of my first Vendée Globe was never the end of the story - it was only the beginning. I was very clear that I wanted the second campaign to be bigger, better, stronger and faster. Over the last year, we have built on our experience; created a new sponsorship model, secured new partners, acquired a foiling boat and established a new team and base. Our aim is to deliver a competitive campaign for the 2028 Vendée Globe."
Heer's new campaign champions the purpose 'Embrace The Challenge'. Inspired by Heer's experiences of solo ocean racing including 99 days alone at sea during his first circumnavigation, it will demonstrate how to deal with uncertainty, find focus and perform at your best in demanding and uncertain environments.
Delivered in partnership with mental performance coach Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Jenewein, Heer's long-time coach and advisor to senior leaders across Europe, the initiative will use elite-level ocean racing to showcase that success starts with a learnable mindset, and to inspire people to turn their own challenges into opportunities.
With less than 3 years until the start of the 2028 Vendée Globe, Oliver Heer Ocean Racing is moving from adventure-mode to performance, with a new phase of preparation under way, as the Swiss team prepares once again to take on 'the Everest of the Seas' - one of the world's toughest sporting challenges.