28 May 2021

The Ocean Race Partners With Discovery to Showcase New

European Competition

New collaboration to unlock the power of sailing with The Ocean Race Europe this month

Discovery and The Ocean Race have established a new partnership to unlock the power of The Ocean Race and the engaging content it produces, as well as to bring sailing into the homes of viewers across Europe through a range of Discovery’s channels and platforms over the coming year.

The cooperation will see extensive coverage of The Ocean Race and a joint approach in attracting and serving fans and partners alike, beginning with the inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Europe in Lorient, France on 29 May. Discovery, the global leader in real life entertainment that serves passionate fans with content that inspires, informs and entertains, will present the race live, primarily through Eurosport, its leading multi-sport brand and the number one sport destination in Europe.

The Ocean Race is a pinnacle event in sailing and has long been considered the toughest test of a team in sport. Since 1973, the around the world race has attracted the best sailors in the world and pushed them to the limit. In recent editions, building on a heritage of environmental stewardship by its sailors, the Race has led the way in developing an award-winning sustainability programme, inspiring change and driving impact towards the restoration of ocean health.

Launching in 2021, The Ocean Race Europe will be shown across Eurosport’s television channels and digital platforms, including live coverage of the start across 54 markets in Europe and in 19 languages. Eurosport’s coverage will also offer viewers four weekly highlight shows via the Eurosport App, as well as on discovery+ in markets where Eurosport is available on Discovery’s global streaming service, and comprehensive daily news coverage and promotion on Eurosport.com.

“In The Ocean Race we see an event with enormous storytelling potential,” said Andrew Georgiou, President, Eurosport and Discovery Global Sports Rights & Sports Marketing Services. “As we share more content across discovery+ we see an appetite in our audience for content that overlaps what we traditionally think of as entertainment or sport. The broad range of stories around The Ocean Race, including a focus on ocean health, is perfect for this. The engaging footage of sport and racing, adventure and human drama, that the teams capture out on the high seas is unique and has the power to inspire people across the world.

“By partnering with The Ocean Race, we have the opportunity to harness the full power and scale of the Discovery portfolio to bring The Ocean Race Europe to millions of viewers in its first year, further expanding the reach of the sport and engagement with new audiences.”

Over the past 48 years, The Ocean Race has developed into a content-rich event and now includes dedicated On Board Reporters on each boat, with a priority on storytelling and innovative, engaging content production.

“The Ocean Race is a very unique event in the world of sport, with a very broad range of content available, from pure sport, to adventure, technology and engineering, nature, weather, human drama and many more, with sustainability a core value that supports all of this,” said Richard Brisius, Race Chairman of The Ocean Race.

“Our goal is to deliver the very best sport and crossover content to existing and new fans. We share this very ambitious vision with Discovery and we are thrilled to begin a co-operation around The Ocean Race Europe and look forward to serving fans on Discovery’s platforms.”

Coverage of The Ocean Race Europe is the first step on a journey that will see wide-ranging and engaging content from The Ocean Race developed and distributed worldwide.

How to follow The Ocean Race Europe:

Extensive coverage is planned across 54 markets in Europe including:

May 27, 28 – 23 minute magazine show 1 – linear
May 29 – One hour live race start from Lorient – linear, Pan-Euro
June 7 – 23 minute magazine show 2 – linear
June 14, 15 – 23 minute magazine show 3 – linear
June 22, 23 – 23 minute magazine show 4- linear

There will also be explainer and short stories on digital channels, as well as daily news coverage, photos, and videos across social platforms.

About Discovery:

Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and nearly 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as discovery+, Food Network Kitchen and MotorTrend OnDemand; digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media; a landmark natural history and factual content partnership with the BBC; and a strategic alliance with PGA TOUR to create the international home of golf. Discovery’s portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, and the forthcoming multi-platform JV with Chip and Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Network, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.mer of 2023.

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About The Ocean Race

Since 1973, The Ocean Race has provided the ultimate test of a team and a human adventure like no other. Over four decades it has kept an almost mythical hold over some of the greatest sailors and been the proving ground for the legends of our sport.

The last edition of the race was the closest in history, with three teams virtually tied, approaching the finish line. After 126 days of racing spread across 11 legs, the winning margin for Charles Caudrelier’s Dongfeng Race Team was only 16 minutes. The top three teams were separated by just four points.

The next edition of The Ocean Race will start from Alicante, Spain in the autumn of 2022 and will finish in Genoa, Italy in summer of 2023.

The Ocean Race Europe

In May/June of 2021, IMOCA and VO65 teams will take part in the inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Europe, starting in Lorient, France on May 29 and finishing in Genova, Italy on June 19, with stops in Cascais, Portugal and Alicante, Spain.

Sustainability in The Ocean Race

We have a proven commitment to sustainability, and with the support and collaboration of 11th Hour Racing, Founding Partner of the Race Sustainability Programme and Premier Partner of The Ocean Race, we are inspiring action and creating tangible outcomes.

Building upon our award-winning legacy in sustainability, our innovative Racing With Purpose programme is acting as a catalyst for positive change and accelerating the application of innovative solutions to help restore ocean health.

The Ocean Race 1973 SL Registered Office: Muelle 10 de Levante, Puerto de Alicante, Alicante, 03001, Spain. Registered in Spain No B76239177. This email and any files transmitted are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. If you have received this email in error, please notify webmaster@theoceanrace.com.

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This message was intended for: peter.hovis@gmail.com

28 May 2021

Teams looking forward to competition ahead of The Ocean Race

Europe

12 of the best sailing teams in the world are ready to start a new race around Europe

On the eve of the inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Europe the 12 competing teams from around the world are making their final preparations in Lorient, France before of the start tomorrow of the first leg to Cascais, Portugal.

Divided into two classes of high-performance ocean-going racing yachts – the identical one-design VO65s, and the IMOCA 60 box-rule development class – The Ocean Race Europe fleet will race point-to-point first to Cascais, then on to Alicante, before finishing in Genova, Italy in mid-June.

Each offshore leg will be scored equally, but shorter coastal day races will be held in Cascais and Genova, when extra bonus points will be up for grabs for the top three finishers.

The powerful VO65 and foiling IMOCA 60 yachts are capable of 24-distance runs over 600 nautical miles (nm) / 1,111 kilometres in the right conditions out in the open ocean. During The Ocean Race Europe the crews are likely to experience changeable conditions as they first negotiate Europe’s Atlantic coast, before entering the enclosed waters of the Mediterranean.

Ocean racing is a demanding sport and aside from their innate sailing ability, the sailors need to be on top of their game mentally and physically to be in with a chance of securing a place on the podium in Genova. Racing nonstop around the clock, the crews typically divide themselves into two four-hour watches to ensure they are able coax the best out their boats at all times – day or night.

The entry list for The Ocean Race Europe is packed with top names from the professional sailing scene – including many veterans of the around-the-world edition of The Ocean Race, which was first contested in 1973 and quickly became the pinnacle of professional ocean racing.

After an enforced hiatus to competitive sailing imposed by the Covid-19 global pandemic all the teams in Lorient are enthusiastic about the chance to go offshore racing once again.

Dutch veteran ocean racer Bouwe Bekking, skipper of the Sailing Poland VO65 entry said it was an impressive achievement to attract such a strong fleet for the inaugural edition of the European event.

“I think it is great that we are here with seven 65s,” Bekking said. “Especially for newer teams, this new race is a fantastic way to establish themselves and to give the crews a chance to sail, but also to show the sponsors what opportunities there are.

Having recently taken part a prologue event between Sailing Poland, Ambersail-2, Childhood 1 and The Austrian Ocean Race Project, that featured close racing, Bekking knows well that The Ocean Race Europe is likely to be fiercely contested.

“I think it will be competitive,” he said. “Some teams will be outstanding because they have been sailing longer, and then there are some teams that are on the learning curve. But I think that we have seen from the prologue that those teams can learn very quickly.

“It’s our aim to be on the podium in Genova.”

Likewise, AkzoNobel Ocean Racing’s Australian skipper Chris Nicholson says the Netherlands-flagged entry is aiming for a podium result in The Ocean Race Europe, despite having only sailed together as a crew for a few days.

“We want to be there with the leaders,” said Nicholson, who has hand-picked the AkzoNobel crew. “If you can be in the top three in all the legs then you are going to feature strongly overall.

“But for us it is going to be about pulling the team together quickly. We have only done three days together so far. We are improving rapidly, but we have a bit to catch up on the teams that have been sailing now for weeks and months together.

“But that’s a nice challenge and I know we have the people to do it.”

For Viva México’s Mexican skipper Erik Brockmann, the team’s arrival in Lorient for the start of the first leg of The Ocean Race Europe is a moment to savour, given it marks Mexico’s return to The Ocean Race for the first time since Ramon Carlin’s Sayula II won the first edition of the around-the-world race in 1973-4.

Brockmann and his crew delivered their VO65 some 7,000 miles from the team’s home port in Acapulco to be a part of the first European edition of The Ocean Race.

“I am just happy to finally enjoy being here,” Brockmann said. “We have worked hard with this team to get Mexico back into The Ocean Race. It’s taken us 50 years to come back since the first edition. This time we will have three or four Mexican sailors doing the legs.

“Now we are ready to sail next to six other boats, because it is one thing when you are sailing by yourself – even though you are pushing hard – it’s another thing when you have other boats to race against.

Despite having trained for The Ocean Race Europe in isolation from the rest of the VO65 fleet, Brockmann says the Mexican team are setting their sights on a top result.

“I think the race will be very competitive,” he said. “It will be tight, and I think we will see some close finishes. We have sailed a lot of miles with light winds, a lot of miles with heavy winds, and this first leg is looking like a combination of very light and very windy.

Being able to change gears and to set yourself in the right position for the wind and sail as fast as you can all the time is what wins these races. We are one of the crews who have put the most miles in, we have prepared the boat well, and so we come with our hopes high.”

For the IMOCA 60 class which is best known for singlehanded racing like the nonstop around the world Vendee Globe race, The Ocean Race Europe is the first opportunity to gauge the potential of the new fully-crewed rule in the heat of battle.

The five boat entry in the class includes four foiling boats – two built for the 2020-21 Vendee Globe (CORUM L’Épargne and LinkedOut), two from the 2016-17 edition (11th Hour Racing Team and Bureau Vallée), and one non-foiler (Offshore Team Germany).

According to 11th Hour Racing Team’s American skipper Charlie Enright, having such a diverse fleet adds another dimension to the racing.

“We have a really diverse fleet – that’s for sure,” Enright said. “All the boats are pretty different, we have multiple generations and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out and how all the boats stack up against each other. I think every dog will have its day.

“There’s not a lot known about the fully crewed environment in the IMOCA. I think we are all going to be learning as we go along. It’s pretty early in the season and not a lot of these boats have more than a couple of days on them since they have been launched.

“We will all be working things out as we go along, but hopefully we get some big conditions so that we can test what the crewed environment can bring to this IMOCA class.”

Tomorrow at 1345 local time the VO65 and IMOCA 60 fleets will leave Lorient on the first leg of The Ocean Race Europe heading for Cascais, Portugal by way of a virtual waypoint turning mark out in the Atlantic Ocean.

Weather forecasts predict that the fleet will experience a range of conditions along the way, starting with a super light wind exit from Lorient in the Bay of Biscay, before stronger winds up to thirty knots become the order of the day at Spain’s Cape Finisterre and on the way out to the Atlantic turning mark.

As a warm-up on Friday, The Ocean Race Europe teams took part in a shortened practice race around the nearby Ile de Groix. In extremely light winds that could be a preview of the start conditions on Saturday, LinkedOut was the first IMOCA to finish, while the Austrian Ocean Race Project to the honours for the VO65 fleet.

The start of Leg 1 of The Ocean Race Europe is scheduled for 13.45 CEST and fans can follow the action live on Eurosport, or via The Ocean Race website, www.theoceanrace.com from 13.30 CEST as well as on our social media platforms, www.YouTube.com/theoceanrace, www.Facebook.com/theoceanrace, and Twitter @theoceanrace.

There is a VNR from today available for registered media at: https://mediacentre.theoceanrace.com/en/broadcast-room#gallery=322&id=135549

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Contacts

About The Ocean Race

Since 1973, The Ocean Race has provided the ultimate test of a team and a human adventure like no other. Over four decades it has kept an almost mythical hold over some of the greatest sailors and been the proving ground for the legends of our sport.

The last edition of the race was the closest in history, with three teams virtually tied, approaching the finish line. After 126 days of racing spread across 11 legs, the winning margin for Charles Caudrelier’s Dongfeng Race Team was only 16 minutes. The top three teams were separated by just four points.

The next edition of The Ocean Race will start from Alicante, Spain in the autumn of 2022 and will finish in Genoa, Italy in summer of 2023.

The Ocean Race Europe

In May/June of 2021, IMOCA and VO65 teams will take part in the inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Europe, starting in Lorient, France on May 29 and finishing in Genova, Italy on June 19, with stops in Cascais, Portugal and Alicante, Spain.

Sustainability in The Ocean Race

We have a proven commitment to sustainability, and with the support and collaboration of 11th Hour Racing, Founding Partner of the Race Sustainability Programme and Premier Partner of The Ocean Race, we are inspiring action and creating tangible outcomes.

Building upon our award-winning legacy in sustainability, our innovative Racing With Purpose programme is acting as a catalyst for positive change and accelerating the application of innovative solutions to help restore ocean health.

The Ocean Race 1973 SL Registered Office: Muelle 10 de Levante, Puerto de Alicante, Alicante, 03001, Spain. Registered in Spain No B76239177. This email and any files transmitted are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. If you have received this email in error, please notify webmaster@theoceanrace.com.

Check out our Privacy Policy

This message was intended for: peter.hovis@gmail.com