sailing | All you need to know about Ocean Race 2023 – Teams, Road & Dutch

The Ocean Race is one of the most intense sports competitions in the world. Teams sail around the world in six months. The strongest team after seven stages wins the match.

The previous edition of the Ocean Race was in 2017-2018. Then the Chinese Dongfeng boat won. The winner also had a Dutch touch. Caroline Brewer was part of this winning team.

road

The latest edition of Ocean Race has much fewer stages than previous editions. The 2017-2018 versions had ten legs and the previous one had nine-legged ones. 2023 version of seven phases.

Alicante (Spain) – Cape Verde
Cape Verde – Cape Town (South Africa)
Cape Town – Itajai (Brazil)
Itajai – Newport (USA)
Newport – Aarhus (Denmark)
Aarhus – The Hague
The Hague – Genoa (Italy)

The longest leg is from Cape Town to Itajai. Boats do not travel across the Atlantic, but take the route along southern Africa, Australia, and South America. Three heads are broken at that point. Cape of Good Hope, Cape Lewin and Cape Horn.

How do you win?

The end position after the stage determines the number of points the team gets. The winner gets the most points. The boat with the most points after the last stop wins the ocean race. If it is a tie in Genoa, the tiebreak will apply. Teams do a short sprint in different ports, a “race within the port”. The best in these matches wins a draw.

What are the participating teams?

So far, five teams have confirmed their participation, and these teams participate in the IMOCA category:

Guyot Environment – Team Europe (France)
11 Hour Racing Team (USA)
Biotherm Racing (France)
Team Malaysia (Germany)
Holcim – PRB (France)

Which Dutch are participating?

So far, the participation of any Dutch sailors has not been confirmed. Earlier this year, the Dutch Aquatics Federation announced that a Dutch boat would compete in the ocean race in the VO65 class. The team will participate under the name Sailing Team Nextgen. Caroline Brewer will also be part of the team. A lack of sponsor money means the team has yet to be confirmed for the upcoming release.

Where do you see?