The new Ocean Race Atlantic is now fast approaching. In just 30 days’ time, the starting signal will be given on 1 September in New York. After around 3,000 nautical miles, the fleet is expected to arrive in the finish port of Lorient from 8 or 9 September. This will be the fourth time the Ocean Race organisers have visited the city. Lorient was a stopover port in the 2011/2012 round-the-world race, as well as in the following 2014/2015 edition. Furthermore, Lorient was also the starting port for The Ocean Race Europe 2025.
Ocean Race Atlantic: Who will set the new benchmark time?
Next month, New York and Lorient are set to be new Transat duo in the spotlight. They are the start and finish ports for the latest Ocean Race spin-off: The Ocean Race Atlantic. The race brings with it many firsts. Firstly, it is the first standalone transatlantic race in the Ocean Race’s history, which spans more than 50 years; secondly, it offers the chance to set a new, fast benchmark time for this west-to-east transatlantic crossing, from New York to Lorient – a record that does not yet exist.
The traditional Transat record from America to Europe is usually set by sailing from Ambrose Lighthouse to Lizard Point, the southernmost point of Great Britain. On this route, Pascal Bidegorry and his crew on the trimaran “Banque Populaire 5” set the fastest time to date in 2009, completing the journey in 3 days, 15 hours, 25 minutes and 48 seconds. A more comparable record for the IMOCs: Bernard Stamm set the record here in 2001 with three crew members on the Open 60 “"Armor-Lux-foie Gras Bizac" set a record in the North Atlantic in 8 days, 20 hours and 56 minutes – a record that still stands today.
At around 2,880 nautical miles, the classic record-breaking route from the starting line at Ambrose Light to Lizard Point is slightly shorter than the forthcoming course from New York to Lorient. The six crews in the Ocean Race Atlantic have around 3,000 theoretical nautical miles to cover. “In many respects, it’s a sprint,” says Boris Herrmann, skipper of “Malizia 4” – and he’s not the only one to think so.
In the Transat’s sights: the 24-hour record
“In a race that lasts just eight days, you can never take your foot off the accelerator,” says Oliver Heer, a month before the race begins. Like the other skippers, including Francesca Clapcich, Oliver Heer welcomes the gender-balanced crew composition of two men and two women, which is required for the first time in The Ocean Race Atlantic. “The 50:50 rule is fantastic!” enthused the Swiss founder and skipper of Embrace The Challenge, referring to the first IMOCA race featuring a 100 per cent mixed crew on all six boats.
To this end, the teams have their sights set on another interesting record: the 24-hour record for IMOCs. Ahead of the start of the Ocean Race Atlantic, this record stands at 641.13 nautical miles and is currently held by a boat that is competing once again: Boris Herrmann’s former “Malizia 3”, which will be skippered by Francesca Clapcich as “11th Hour Racing” in the Ocean Race Atlantic from 1 September, set the distance on 26 May 2023 during the last Ocean Race round-the-world race.
At the time, the only record officially recognised by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) was the 24-hour record set shortly beforehand by “Holcim PRB” – 640.48 nautical miles in 24 hours – because the record set immediately afterwards by “Malizia – Seaexplorer’ was less than one nautical mile. In the sailing world, however, the “Malizia” achievement of 641.13 nautical miles is regarded as the benchmark. It could be surpassed in the Ocean Race Atlantic, particularly by the two new speedsters, “Malizia 4” or “DMG Mori Global One”.
"I’m absolutely convinced there’s a chance of breaking the 24-hour record.” Boris Herrmann
Boris Herrmann will attempt to challenge the record alongside Cole Brauer (USA), Justine Mettraux (Switzerland) and Julien Villion (France). Similarly, Japan’s Kojiro Shiraishi will have IMOCA experts by his side for the upcoming Transat on the “DMG Mori Global One”, alongside Samantha Davies (Great Britain), Nico Lunven (France) and Arisa Moriya (Japan). If everything goes well with the two new speedsters during the transfer, then a top-of-the-table clash under the heading “Blade vs. Bustle”, “Malizia 4” vs. “DMG Mori Global One” expected.
However, the slightly older, yet well-proven and revised Imocas, such as Francesca Clapcich’s “11th Hour Racing” (formerly “Malizia 3”), Paul Meilhat’s Team United by the Ocean (formerly ‘Biotherm’) or Oliver Heers’ “Embrace the Challenge” (formerly “TeamWork – Team Snef”). Long-standing contender Conrad Colman is set to start the Transat as an outsider with his Kiwi quartet on the “MSIG Europe” from 2007.
Severe storms possible in the Ocean Race Atlantic leg
Weather expert Will Harris, who works for the Ocean Race Atlantic is joining Francesca Clapcich’s team, before resuming his work alongside Boris Herrmann at the Team Malizia continued, saying: “You shouldn’t underestimate the race. It’s the North Atlantic in September. You can come up against some really powerful storms there.” In the last round-the-world race, Harris experienced “what were probably the most intense seven days of the entire race” on the Atlantic aboard the former “Malizia 3”.
For the first time in more than 50 years of The Ocean Race’s history, the transatlantic leg from New York to Europe is more than just a stage. The Ocean Race Atlantic is turning it into a race in its own right:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter