Kiel's comeback in The Ocean Race: The Ocean Race sets course for Kiel: "Fly-By" for the fans

The negotiations were successful, the contracts have been signed: The most famous team race around the world is heading back to Kiel. Almost two decades after the victorious finish of the German illbruck Challenge, Germany's sailing capital is back in the spotlight of the ocean marathon. On the penultimate leg from Aarhus in Denmark to The Hague in the Netherlands in June 2023, the yachts will be sent to pass a course mark in Kiel's inner fjord with a so-called "fly-by". Offshore Team Germany, Kiel-Marketing and the state capital of Kiel jointly negotiated this fan bonus with the Ocean Race organisers. Click here for the video clip in which the organisers present the route for the upcoming edition of The Ocean Race (please click!).

Kiel's Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer said: "We have never lost contact with the organisers since the fantastic final in Kiel in 2002. Now we are once again part of this international regatta with stopovers on four continents." Ulf Wanger, Managing Director of Kiel-Marketing, said: "We are offering top teams from the sailing world a performance to remember with a turning point right in the heart of the city." Initial ideas for the design of the "Fly-By" include live moderation and infotainment on the shores of the Kiel Fjord. The victory of the "illbruck" 20 years ago was celebrated by more than 100,000 spectators on land and on the water in Kiel.

Offshore Team Germany (OTG) has also contributed to the comeback, drawing attention to the German "shares" in this race with its victory in The Ocean Race Europe in June of this year. Team manager Jens Kuphal said: "Seeing Germany back on the map of The Ocean Race fills us with great pride. Sailing through the confines of Friedrichsort into the Kiel Fjord and presenting international offshore sailing in this setting is another great motivation for us to finally be back in the TOR as a German team. We hope that this decision by The Ocean Race and the city of Kiel will also give our German campaign a boost." Offshore Team Germany is still looking for partners for its project. OTG skipper Robert Stanjek said: "The fact that this legendary race is heading for Germany has a very special driving force. Rounding a home mark at the end of a circumnavigation is a strong motive - it doesn't get any better than that."

Boris Herrmann, whose team Malizia is planning for The Ocean Race and the next Vendée Globe and is already financed, was also delighted with the good news from Kiel and commented with a smile: "The Ocean Race is taking shape..." The Imoca new build for Herrmann's team's ambitious double mission is currently under construction in France, is already in its second half and continues to progress according to plan.

The starting signal for the 14th The Ocean Race, which celebrated its premiere in 1973/74 as the Whitbread Round the World Race, is due to be given in January 2023 off Alicante in Spain. The supreme race of international crew sailing will be held in the Imoca 60 and Volvo Ocean 65 classes. It will test the challengers over 32,000 nautical miles and features stopovers in nine international cities over six months. The final port is the Italian harbour city of Genoa.