One week to go: The Ocean Race Atlantic ushers in a new era of fully-crewed IMOCA racing
by The Ocean Race 25 Aug 18:42 BST
1 September 2026
The Ocean Race Atlantic © Josselin Didou - Qaptur / 11th Hour Racing
One week from today, six of the world's leading offshore sailing teams will depart New York City for the inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Atlantic, a new transatlantic race with six teams competing including two new generation IMOCA boats that will be racing for the first time, along with an innovative 50-50 crew rule that sees each crew in the fleet composed of two women and two men, racing side by side.
Each of the six teams will also have an OBR (on board reporter) to bring the experience of the sailors and the reality of life at sea closer to fans than ever before, including live updates via the daily OnBoard Live Show and streaming from on board each boat via the official race tracker at theoceanrace.com.
The race starts on 1st September, with the fleet starting offshore from New York City before racing across the North Atlantic to Lorient, France, the heart of the IMOCA sailing community. The boats are expected to arrive in Lorient around 8-9 September.
The six teams competing are Team Malizia (GER), Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing (USA), United by the Ocean (FRA), DMG MORI Sailing Team (JPN), Embrace The Challenge (SUI) and MSIG Europe (NZL).
This is a race built for speed, strategy and teamwork. The foiling IMOCA boats are capable of extraordinary performance offshore, but on a transatlantic sprint the crews must constantly balance boat speed with the demands of navigation and tactics, weather, crew fatigue and overall reliability. This is doubly true of the DMG MORI and Malizia teams who will be racing new boats for the first time. The North Atlantic can deliver powerful weather systems at this time of year, making it possible for the 24-hour distance record of 641 nautical miles to be in play for the teams who strike the right balance.
Racing for the ocean
The Ocean Race Atlantic is connecting elite sailing with a wider mission for ocean health with the sailors and teams also competing across a wide variety of sustainability metrics for the inaugural Racing for the Ocean Teams Challenge. The Ocean Race Atlantic is being delivered with support from Impact Partner 11th Hour Racing, with a shared focus on ocean science and literacy, sustainable event practices, and equity and inclusion.
As they race across the Atlantic, the teams will be collecting valuable ocean and climate data for scientific research and in both New York City and Lorient there is a full programme of Try Sailing, Ocean Health and Literacy initiatives.
The skipper of the US-flagged 11th Hour Racing boat, and a winning sailor in the 2022-23 around the world race, Francesca Clapcich, shares her excitement about the fast race course and the start in New York City: "I think we will see some high speeds and if we are lucky with the weather at the end of the summer, we could see a record-breaking transatlantic," she said, adding, "It is pretty special to be in New York for the start, as we have a lot of supporters for our team here and it will be great to give them an opportunity to experience our sport."
Paul Meilhat, the winning skipper of The Ocean Race Europe last summer, and co-skipper of the French team, United by the Ocean says: "This is a classic transatlantic route and a race where we have a chance to bring the story of what we experience on the ocean to life. The finish in Lorient, the 'Sailing Valley' that is home to so many of us, makes the arrival even more special."
Follow the race
Fans will be able to follow the fleet throughout the Atlantic crossing through The Ocean Race's official digital channels, with race news, videos, photography, sailor stories and updates from the teams. The OnBoard Live show, available daily during the race, is a must-view for race fans, streaming live on theoceanrace.com each day at 1700 CEST / 1500 UTC / 1100 EDT, along with live coverage of the ceremonial start from New York City on 1st September at 1800 CEST / 1600 UTC / 12-noon EDT.
Updated How to Follow information, including TV broadcast channels, is here: theoceanrace.com/en/how-to-follow.
The official Race Tracker, developed with PredictWind, will provide an additional window into the action, giving fans access to live boat data and insights as well as video links and is available through The Ocean Race website.
Fans can also compete in the official game with Virtual Regatta
For those who want to experience The Ocean Race Atlantic in person, the fleet is based at Brooklyn Bridge Marina for the week leading up the start and fans will be able to see Speed Runs on 28th and 29th August, before the fleet heads out for the race on 1st September.
The departure and ceremonial start will see the boats in front of the Statue of Liberty and New York skyline before beginning their transatlantic race from a start line further offshore later in the evening.
At the other end of the Atlantic, Lorient will welcome the fleet with a free-to-enter Ocean Live Park, running from 9th to 13th September, with opportunities to meet sailors and teams, discover more about ocean health and experience the world of offshore racing, in addition to concerts and family entertainment.