Sailors and teams shift focus to The Ocean Race Atlantic in 2026

The new transatlantic race, connecting two iconic cities, is scheduled to start in New York on 2nd September 2026, and finish in Barcelona two weeks later.

In Boka Bay, IMOCA sailors and teams were given a sneak preview of the 2026 event, including details on the berthing and marina facilities, the Ocean Live Park activations, and the race conditions, which include a 50/50 crew rule that mandates two female and two male sailors on each boat.

“I already want to be on the water again and to do The Ocean Race Atlantic,” said Biotherm skipper Paul Meilhat, the winner of The Ocean Race Europe last week. “This is the next one on the calendar for me because it has all the things we love – a great race course and concept, great new cities in New York and Barcelona. And what I really enjoy about The Ocean Race is that you sail with many people, you learn, and you discover new things about yourself and about how to work in a team. The Ocean Race Atlantic is the next chapter.”

Rob Hagedorn and Mike Hopper, whose agency ‘underdog & company’ will lead the project in New York, shared that their team is working to build an event that allows teams, sailors and stakeholders to take advantage of the global platform offered by New York while creating a great experience for the local communities to engage with the Ocean Race.

“The teams will be based at The Brooklyn Bridge Marina in Brooklyn and we will have multiple hospitality experiences provided to guests in iconic locations overlooking the NY Harbor,” Hagedorn confirmed. “There will be pro-am and guest sailing opportunities and the race start itself will showcase the fleet against the iconic skyline of New York City.”

The 50-50 crew rule in The Ocean Race Atlantic will give equal opportunities to the best female and male offshore sailors in the world in a new point to point race format. Both are firsts for The Ocean Race.

“It’s going to be a great moment with a new team and The Ocean Race Atlantic is an opportunity to be the skipper of my own squad,” said Francesca Clapcich, who is taking over the Malizia boat and launching her own IMOCA project – Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing.

“With The Ocean Race Europe and now The Ocean Race Atlantic we have these fantastic opportunities to race every season in a crewed configuration and The Ocean Race Atlantic is opening up the playing field with strict rules around gender equality and 50-50 crews. I think this is where the sport needs to go. For me it’s special as a dual citizen – Italian and American – being able to race from the USA to Europe it’s a very special race route.”

The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026 leads into the next edition of The Ocean Race around the world, which starts from Alicante, Spain in January 2027.

Text and images courtesy of The Ocean Race. Read more here.