The Ocean Race has announced Lorient, France as the arrival city for the inaugural The Ocean Race Atlantic.
Setting off from New York City on 1 September, the race will see the best offshore sailors in the world compete on an iconic transatlantic route as they race across the North Atlantic Ocean between New York and Lorient, France, the heart of The Bretagne Sailing Valley and home to a majority of the IMOCA fleet and its sailors.
This will be the fourth time The Ocean Race will be in Lorient, following around the world race stopovers in 2011-12 and 2014-15 and the hosting of the start of the inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Europe in 2021.
The new race course will give an opportunity to set a fully-crewed IMOCA / The Ocean Race standard for the Atlantic crossing on a course that respects marine biodiversity.
The Ocean Race is working with all the relevant stakeholders, including Impact Partner 11th Hour Racing, ocean experts and the Marine Mammal Advisory Group, to develop a route that reduces the risk of encounters with marine megafauna whilst providing a compelling and challenging race course for the IMOCA class between New York and Lorient.
In a first for The Ocean Race (which has previously featured all-female crews, along with rules requiring a minimum number of female or youth crew), the IMOCA teams will compete in The Ocean Race Atlantic with a balanced crew of two men and two women, plus an additional media crew member to enable live race coverage, in addition to capturing all of the behind-the-scenes moments on board the race boats.
“I am really looking forward to racing in The Ocean Race Atlantic with our IMOCA, ‘11th Hour Racing’. This race holds something truly special for me as it sails from the United States, the country I call home, all the way to France, where our team is based. It doesn’t get more personal than that!!” said Francesca Clapcich, the skipper of Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing and the only US entrant in the race.
“Our boat has already proven her speed: the Malizia crew set the 24-hour distance record in this boat on the transatlantic leg of The Ocean Race three years ago and now it’s up to us to continue that legacy. Racing with a balanced, mixed crew brings something extra special to the team: different strengths and a richness in how we think and perform together which makes us stronger as a whole. That blend is one of our greatest assets, and I truly believe it will make the difference when the Atlantic decides to test us.”
The fleet will assemble at the Brooklyn Bridge Marina in New York City and participate in local activations on and off the water ahead of a race start on 1st September.
After racing approximately 3000 nautical miles (5500km), the teams are expected to finish off Lorient on 8/9 September (ETA) where the Ocean Live Park will be set up at “Lorient La Base”, until 13 September, for the public with activities for all ages including: fan / sailor interactions; ocean health and literacy programming; boat tours; race and team merchandise and key stakeholder activations as well as youth engagements around sailing and the ocean.
Fabrice Loher, President of Lorient Agglomeration and Mayor of Lorient, highlighted the significance of the event, stating: “The arrival of The Ocean Race Atlantic in 2026 reaffirms the strength of our maritime ecosystem. With over 900 jobs and annual economic benefits reaching €44 million, offshore racing is a cornerstone of the Lorient economy. This event is a major opportunity to take a bold step forward, firmly establishing Lorient La Base as one of the world’s preeminent maritime capitals.”
“This new race from New York to Lorient will be a great challenge for us as sailors and for our team as the first opportunity to race our new boat,” said Kojiro Shiraishi, the skipper of DMG Mori Sailing Team.
“Sailing as a crew is new for us. We have formed a nice crew for this race and my goal is for us to perform at the highest level we can, while learning about each other and the new boat ahead of the around the world race in January.”
Six teams are already registered for The Ocean Race Atlantic, including: Team Malizia; Team Francesca Clapcich powered by 11th Hour Racing; DMG Mori Sailing Team; Oliver Heer Ocean Racing Team; Paul Meilhat Sailing Team and one other team to be announced.
