Ocean Globe Race: Four teams are looking for crew members for a retro round-the-world sailing race

The McIntyre Ocean Globe Race 2027 is now recruiting crews for a demanding challenge in offshore racing. Nine teams are preparing for the second edition of this fully booked retro round-the-world race, which will be sailed in the spirit of the original 1973 Whitbread Race – the event that later became the Volvo Ocean Race and is now known as The Ocean Race. Seven yachts have already publicly confirmed their participation, whilst two further entries – one British and one French – remain under wraps. The organisers are optimistic that up to 14 yachts will line up at the start. Four confirmed campaigns are currently actively seeking crew members: the Italian Swan 65 “Translated 9”, the Finnish Swan 55 “Galiana”, the Australian Swan 57 “Explorer” and the Australian Baltic 55 “Outlaw”. The race starts on 12 September 2027 in Europe and follows a four-leg route back to Europe, where the fleet is expected to arrive in April 2028. Navigation is carried out exclusively using sextants, paper charts and traditional seamanship – GPS, electronic charts and satellite routing are prohibited.

Ebru Yamal, from Hamburg, described what the race feels like and how it fits into the bigger picture in an article on yacht.de Interview.

“Translated 9” launches global cast call

The Italian Swan 65 owned by Translated founders Marco Trombetti and Isabelle Andrieu is the latest team to join the 2027 starting line-up. In the 2023 race, the crew won the first two legs in the IRC classification. They led the handicap classification on their way to Cape Horn before severe structural damage knocked the yacht out of the official rankings. Despite suffering hull damage on two occasions, the crew repaired the boat and completed their round-the-world voyage on 3 May 2024 in Cowes. For 2027, “Translated 9” has a clear goal: victory. American sailing legend Paul Cayard is supporting the team’s training programme. “In 2023, we dominated the race. We broke the boat. We learnt. We never gave up. Now we’re coming back,” states the 2027 crew call. Applications are open worldwide until 26 July 2026. The selection process places as much emphasis on character and attitude as it does on sailing experience.

Requirements and terms and conditions for “Translated 9”

The selection process assesses motivation, resilience, the ability to work in a team, humility and a willingness to learn. The 2027 crew will consist of one-third professional and two-thirds amateur sailors, in accordance with the racing rules. Previous ocean-crossing experience is not required for every position – experience and eligibility requirements vary depending on the role. Participation on board “Translated 9” is free of charge for selected sailors; the team covers expenses during the race. Professional sailors receive a salary and insurance. Applicants are responsible for their own travel costs during the initial trial phase. At the awards ceremony in Rome, “Translated 9” received the McIntyre Adventure Spirit of OGR 2023 Award in recognition of their exceptional resilience, teamwork and determination to complete the round-the-world voyage despite suffering two instances of structural damage.

Returning competitors in the Golden Globe Race are looking for crew members

“Galiana”, the classic S&S-designed Swan 55 with hull number two, is once again being skippered by the Finnish sailor Tapio Lehtinen. A veteran of the 1981–82 Whitbread Round the World Race and two Golden Globe Race campaigns, he is now embarking on his fifth circumnavigation of the globe. “Galiana” finished the 2023 Ocean Globe Race in eighth place overall and is currently undertaking an extensive North Atlantic training programme through the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Bermuda, before returning to Finland via Greenland and Iceland. Crew places are available on a cost-sharing basis.

“Explorer” returns with a new skipper and a new crew following a major refit. The Swan 57 was officially recorded as a DNF after Leg 2 in 2023, but continued the voyage and crossed the finish line in Cowes on 13 May 2024. “Explorer” sails with eleven people on board and offers places for both single-leg sailors and those circumnavigating the globe in its entirety. Participating sailors contribute towards the campaign costs.

“Outlaw” and the cooperative model

The third returning campaign to be actively recruiting is “Outlaw”, the Australian Baltic 55 skippered by Campbell Mackie. Originally built in Finland as “Equity & Law” for the 1985–86 Whitbread Round the World Race, “Outlaw” underwent an extensive refit ahead of the 2023 Ocean Globe Race and finished the race in seventh place overall. The campaign’s cooperative model allows potential participants to purchase a share in the yacht. “Outlaw” is entered for 2027 and is recruiting to complete its crew line-up for a third round-the-world voyage.

The French “Neptune” campaign, skippered by Tanneguy Raffray, is returning with André Mauric’s legendary 60-foot aluminium design, which competed in the second Whitbread Round the World Race in 1977. Neptune finished the 2023 Ocean Globe Race in sixth place overall and is once again sailing to support people with Parkinson’s, raising both awareness and funds through the “Winning with Parkinson’s” project.

Ocean Globe Race: Where to apply

​Sailors wishing to apply should consult the information on the 2027 participants and the individual teams on the Ocean Globe Race website. Applications for “Translated 9” are open until 26 July 2026. The timetables for crew recruitment, the experience requirements and the financial arrangements for ‘Galiana’, ‘Explorer’ and ‘Outlaw’ vary depending on the campaign. Details can be found at the OGR participants 2027.Ocean Globe Race – Race Edition 2027

International fleet with new owners

“White Shadow”, the 1978 Swan 57 with hull number four, which competed as a Spanish entry in 2023, is returning under new French ownership. Charles Lambert takes the helm as skipper, with Sarah Polomack-Vinckel as co-skipper. Finland’s second announced entry is “Panacea”, an S&S Nautor Swan 57 built in 1981. Owner Tuomo Meretniemi and his family lived on board “Panacea” during their round-the-world voyage between 2016 and 2024. With strong links to Finland’s Sea Scout community, “Panacea” is also planning an educational and scientific programme, developed in collaboration with three Finnish universities.

The Golden Globe Race, with navigation just like in 1973

The 2027 race covers approximately 27,000 nautical miles across four legs. The planned route takes the fleet south across the equator to Cape Town, eastwards through the Southern Ocean to Auckland, round Cape Horn to Punta del Este in Uruguay, and then across the Atlantic to a European destination. The final European start and finish ports are yet to be announced. The crews will compete aboard classic production yachts and historic Whitbread designs, navigating without GPS or electronic charts and without external weather routing. Sextants, paper charts, celestial observations, barometers and traditional forecasting methods form the basis of navigation. Routine communications remain strictly controlled, with SSB/HF radio as the primary means of communication and limited, monitored Starlink sessions permitted for authorised media and other specified purposes. The race will be broadcast live around the clock via a dedicated one-way YouTube channel, ‘OGR WINDOW LIVE’.

Mixed crews and young talent

The regulations stipulate mixed crews and require each yacht to have at least one sailor under the age of 24 on board, to ensure that a new generation of young ocean sailors is given the chance to take part. The inaugural edition in 2023 was the first fully-crewed retro round-the-world race of its kind in almost 30 years and marked the 50th anniversary of the original 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race. Fourteen teams and around 220 sailors set sail aboard classic production yachts and historic Whitbread veterans. Without GPS, satellite routing or computers, they experienced an emotional, physical and psychological rollercoaster ride that pushed crews to their limits – and sometimes beyond – just like the original Whitbread half a century earlier. The 2027 edition once again offers amateur sailors the opportunity to sail the world’s great oceans, cross the Equator and the Doldrums, tackle the Southern Ocean and round Cape Horn.

Budgets and Passion

“You don’t need huge budgets to take part,” says race founder and chairman Don McIntyre. “All you need is passion, a good team of sailors and determination.” Sailors wishing to apply should consult the information on the 2027 entrants and individual teams on the Ocean Globe Race website. “Translated 9” Applications close on 26 July 2026, whilst recruitment schedules, experience requirements and financial arrangements for “Galiana”, “Explorer” and “Outlaw” vary depending on the campaign. The final route, which closely follows the original 1973 Whitbread, is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Portugal is in the running as the starting port following a European prologue, then on to Cape Town, most likely Auckland, and round Cape Horn to the Punta Del Este Yacht Club, then home – a total of 28,000 nautical miles.

Key facts about the Ocean Globe Race:

Race format:

• Launch: 12 September 2027 in Europe
• Target: April 2028 in Europe
• Distance: Approximately 27,000 nautical miles
• Stages: Four main stages

Route:

• Stage 1: Europe to Cape Town
• Leg 2: Cape Town to Auckland
• Leg 3: Auckland to Punta del Este via Cape Horn
• Stage 4: Punta del Este to Europe

Navigation:

• GPS use is not permitted
• No electronic tickets
• No satellite routing
• Sextants and paper charts are compulsory
• SSB/HF radio as the main means of communication
• Limited, supervised Starlink sessions for the media

Crew requirements:

• Mixed crew required
• At least one sailor under the age of 24 per yacht
• “Translated 9”: One-third professional, two-thirds amateur sailors

Application deadlines:

• “Translated 9”: Until 26 July 2026
• “Galiana”, “Explorer”, “Outlaw”: Schedules vary depending on the campaign

Costs:

• “Translated 9”: Free entry for selected participants; the team covers race costs; applicants bear their own travel costs during the trial phase
• “Galiana”: Cost-sharing basis
• “Explorer”: Cost-sharing by participating sailors
• “Outlaw”: A cooperative model with an option to purchase shares in a yacht

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