First entry revealed for The Ocean Race

(June 17, 2019) – German Boris Herrmann has announced he is a registered competitor in the 2021-22 edition of The Ocean Race.

Herrmann, and his Team Malizia, plan to tackle the fully-crewed around the world race starting in the autumn of 2021, following his solo campaign in the 2020 edition of the Vendée Globe.

“The Ocean Race is one of the ‘big four’ sailing races alongside the Vendée Globe, the America’s Cup and the Olympic Games and is therefore potentially attractive for our German automobile partner BMW as well,” says Herrmann. “This is a unique opportunity for us and the entire sport of sailing in Germany.

The German-flagged illbruck Challenge won the 2001-02 edition of what was then called the Volvo Ocean Race, famously leading the fleet into a home finish in Kiel, Germany.

Herrmann has called it an pivotal moment for him as a young sailor.

“At that time I was 19, I had just finished the Mini Transat, and it inspired me to continue on to become a professional sailor,” he said in a video interview with The Ocean Race earlier this year.

“Boris and his team, with a full offshore race programme scheduled in the lead up to The Ocean Race, are well positioned to carry on that legacy and they continue to be a strong advocate for ocean health and sustainability which is a big focus area for The Ocean Race as we shape the event for the future,” said Richard Mason, the Executive Director of The Ocean Race.

For additional information on this project, click here.

More news from teams registering to compete in The Ocean Race is expected over the coming weeks.

Event details – Route – Teams – Facebook

The Ocean Race, scheduled to start in 2021, will be raced in two classes of boats: the high-performance, foiling, IMOCA 60 class and the one-design VO65 class which has been used for the last two editions of the race. Entries in the IMOCA 60 class will compete for The Ocean Race trophy, while those racing the VO65s will chase the Ocean Challenge Trophy.

The race course of the 2021-22 edition of The Ocean Race will be determined over the first six months of 2019. The race will start from Alicante, Spain in the autumn of 2021 and finish in Europe in early summer of 2022. There will be up to nine stopover ports.

Source: The Ocean Race