The Ocean Race ends an epic 2023 on a high note

by The Ocean Race 22 Dec 2023 04:02 AEDT

The Ocean Race 2022-23 - 1 July 2023. Prize giving on stage in the Ocean Live Park in Genova. Overall 1st Place IMOCA, 11th Hour Racing Team © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race

An incredible race year comes to a close with the Notice of Race released for The Ocean Race Europe in 2025 and The Ocean Race 2026-27 along with comprehensive reports on the 2023 event...

The year 2023 opened with the start of The Ocean Race from Alicante, Spain on 15 January, the first edition of the event to be raced in the high-tech foiling, flying IMOCAs, and the latest evolution in the 50 year history of the event from the Whitbread Round the World Race, to the Volvo Ocean Race to The Ocean Race.

From the departure through the Grand Finale in Genova, Italy in July, there was close, compelling racing on the water, including the longest Southern Ocean leg in race history and setting a new monohull speed record. It all culminated with the inspiring victory of 11th Hour Racing Team, the first American-flagged team to win the Race, and subsequently honoured as World Sailing's Team of the Year.

Alongside the race around the planet, another colossal effort was taking place: the race for the ocean. Throughout the year, The Ocean Race, its sailors, teams and stakeholders, demonstrated an unwavering commitment to ocean health, including a 75% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the race organisation in comparison to the previous edition.

"This past year has demonstrated once again that The Ocean Race remains the pinnacle of human achievement in sport," said Richard Brisius, Race Chairman of The Ocean Race. "As we celebrate 50 years of the Race and reflect on how the event has evolved over time, this point is stronger than ever and at the heart of our legacy: competing in The Ocean Race is a singular accomplishment in the life of a sailor.

"We enjoyed an incredible race featuring many new sailors taking on the challenge of The Ocean Race for the first time and we had more women participating than ever before. All of our sailors and teams faced hardship and overcame challenges, perhaps none more so than 11th Hour Racing Team with their inspiring race win.

"At the same time we took important steps forward in our shared mission to protect and restore the ocean, whether through The Ocean Race Summits and Genova Process developing momentum for ocean rights, or our innovative onboard science initiatives and international Learning Programme. As we look to the future, this work will continue to be at the heart of what we do."

The Ocean Race's award-winning sustainability programme, developed in collaboration with founding partner 11th Hour Racing, set new standards for engaging and inspiring sailors, teams, stakeholders and fans, including the One Blue Voice campaign which gathered over 32,000 signatures supporting a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights.

"This was the year when The Ocean Race became the Race for the Ocean, redoubling our previous efforts and building a comprehensive collaboration between sport and sustainability to make a meaningful difference for the ocean," Brisius added.

Since the conclusion of the Race in the summer, a comprehensive Race Report (with Nielsen and Meltwater) has been compiled showing significant global media coverage and value generated for teams, partners, host cities and stakeholders, including:

A 75% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the last Race
A cumulative media audience of 8.1 billion
A social media listening reach of 2.6 billion
2.4 billion sustainability related online news readership
33.8 million social media video views
5,400 hours broadcast on linear television
1.8 million visitors to Ocean Live Park
Over 4-million data points captured by the onboard science programme

Those interested in more information on the Race Report can contact

As 2023 concludes, the Notice of Race has been published for both The Ocean Race Europe (to take place in late summer 2025) and the next around the world race, starting from Alicante, Spain, in 2026-27. See more here

The entry period for the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe is now open. The entry period for The Ocean Race 2026-27 will open on 1st February 2024 and is limited to 10 IMOCA teams with the possibility of additional wild card entries. There is no entry fee for early registration in both races.

The official race documentary, A Voyage of Discovery: The Ocean Race, produced with Warner Bros. Discovery, is now available to stream on Eurosport and Discovery+ in Europe and Asia as well as the Max streaming platform in the USA.