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The Ocean RaceFreestyle only for the Imocas, short programme for the VO65 yachts

Tatjana Pokorny

 · 01.12.2022

The Ocean Race: Freestyle only for the Imocas, short programme for the VO65 yachtsPhoto: Vincent Curutchet /IMOCA
The Imocas will be sailing around the world in the Ocean Race from 15 January. Here you can see the "Guyot Environnement - Team Europe" in the foreground, which will be sailing under the French-German flag with co-skippers Benjamin Dutreux and Robert Stanjek
The most famous team race around the world starts on 15 January: The Ocean Race - formerly known as the Whitbread Round the World Race and the Volvo Ocean Race - takes its challengers across the world's oceans in seven stages for the 14th time since 1973. Not all of them, however, as was announced today after a long and tough struggle behind the scenes

The long-awaited setback for the queen of crewed regattas around the world is now official: with the Imocas, only one of the two planned classes will contest the 14th edition of The Ocean Race on course around the world. The second field of VO65 yachts remained too shaky for the full round. Due to a lack of sufficient budgets, it had become apparent in recent months that the 65cc division was unlikely to have a veritable fleet for a race around the world.

Short programme for the VO65 yachts: gaining experience for the future in three stages of the Sprint Cup

The organisers have reacted and worked on an alternative. Around six weeks before the first starting signal, they are now introducing a new competition under the umbrella of The Ocean Race: The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup. Remotely based on the format of the Ocean Race Europe 2021, up to five VO65 yachts will take part in the little Ocean Race sister event as part of the Legends Race. The winner will be the team with the best result on the three legs from Alicante to the Cape Verde Islands, from Århus to The Hague and from The Hague to Genoa. The VO65 yachts will also take part in the harbour races in the participating cities.

"This new trophy will allow a new generation of sailors to gain valuable ocean racing experience alongside familiar faces," explains Race Director Phil Lawrence. "We're super happy to be taking part in the Harbour Race (8 January) and then into the long leg. We're looking forward to three incredible races against top competition," says 27-year-old Dutchman and "Jajo" skipper Jelmer van Beek, representing the VO65 teams, who will remain in the race, albeit at a much shorter distance, thanks to the Sprint Cup.

"Holcim - PRB" skipper Kevin Escoffier will once again be sailing solo in the Route du Rhum and the next Vendée Globe in 2024. Like Boris Herrmann and Paul Meilhat, he will compete in The Ocean Race as part of the teamPhoto: Eloi Stichelbaut/Polaryse"Holcim - PRB" skipper Kevin Escoffier will once again be sailing solo in the Route du Rhum and the next Vendée Globe in 2024. Like Boris Herrmann and Paul Meilhat, he will compete in The Ocean Race as part of the team

Strong German line-up in the race around the world

The newly introduced Imoca class, on the other hand, will start with five boats in all seven legs around the world. This even includes two boats with German sailors for the first time: Boris Herrmann and his team Malizia will start the ocean marathon off Alicante on 15 January under the German flag. Guyot Environnement - Team Europe with co-skippers Benjamin Dutreux and Robert Stanjek from Berlin will be racing under the French-German flag. Their strong rivals are Charlie Enright's US team 11th Hour Racing, Kevin Escoffier's Swiss team Holcim - PRB and Paul Meilhat's Team Biotherm Racing.

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The co-skippers of the "Guyot Environnement - Team Europe": Benjamin Dutreux (r.) and Robert Stanjek from BerlinPhoto: ILP Vision - Charles Drapeau/GUYOT Environnement - Team EuropeThe co-skippers of the "Guyot Environnement - Team Europe": Benjamin Dutreux (r.) and Robert Stanjek from Berlin

Click here to go to the homepage of the race around the world.

Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia wants to step on the gas in the Ocean Race with the new "Malizia - Seaexplorer"Photo: Yann Riou - polaRSE/MaliziaBoris Herrmann's Team Malizia wants to step on the gas in the Ocean Race with the new "Malizia - Seaexplorer"

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Tatjana Pokorny

Tatjana Pokorny

Sports reporter

Tatjana “tati” Pokorny is the author of nine books. As a reporter for Europe's leading sailing magazine YACHT, she also works as a correspondent for the German Press Agency (DPA), the Hamburger Abendblatt and other national and international media. In summer 2024, Tatjana will be reporting from Marseille on her ninth consecutive Olympic Games. Other core topics have been the America's Cup since 1992, the Ocean Race since 1993, the Vendée Globe and other national and international regattas and their protagonists. Favorite discipline: Portraits of and interviews with sailing personalities. When she started out in sports journalism, she was still intensively involved with basketball and other sports, but sailing quickly became her main focus. The reason? The declared optimist says: “There is no other sport like it, no other sport with such interesting and intelligent personalities, no other sport so diverse, no other sport so full of energy, strength and ideas. Sailing is like a constantly refreshing declaration of love for life."

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