Ocean Race Alicante: a full fleet readies for the start
Eleven boats are gathering in Alicante this week as activity on shore grows louder. The free-admission Village Ocean Live Park opens on Saturday, January 7, in the final preparations for the start of The Ocean Race 2022-23. Now in its 14th full-crew edition, the event will showcase state-of-the-art, underslung and near-flying IMOCA boats. The VO65 fleet, which previously competed in a pair of global events, is taking on a shorter challenge this time, competing for the first Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup across three concurrent stages: stages 1, 6 and 7 of the world tour.
For the five IMOCA teams tying up their preparations before the start, this week holds extra significance. They face the In Harbor coastal race on January 8 and then the main departure for stage one, sailing from Alicante to Cape Verde on January 15.
Five strong teams will line up in the IMOCA class: 11th Hour Racing Team from the United States, Malizia Team led by Charlie Enright, Team Holcim-PRB from Switzerland led by Kevin Escoffier, GUYOT environment-Team Europe a Franco-German crew captained by Benjamin Dutreux, and Biotherm Racing of France under captain Paul Meilhat.
Several boats are already docked along the harbor, with four IMOCAs stationed at the Ocean Live Park marina in Alicante. The GUYOT environment-Team Europe has secured permission to continue preparations in Barcelona until the weekend, while other entries finish their prep work for the event. The VO65 fleet is also arriving in waves, complemented by a recently joined Austrian-Italian entry that brings additional team members to the competitive mix.
It is a particularly intense moment for the quartet of IMOCAs that took part in the route earlier in the autumn. After a Mediterranean voyage completed in December, these boats have undergone refurbishment and upgrades to ready them for full crewed racing, followed by the mandatory measurement process to certify their readiness.
“Our team faced a heavy workload,” says Kevin Escoffier, captain of the Holcim-PRB Team. “We are grateful for the support from Ocean Race organizers, which helps with the logistics and technical coordination. We are proud of how far we have come in a short time.”
This is the full activity schedule for the start of The Ocean Race from Alicante and a look at the roads ahead for each crew.
In the lead up to departure, the teams are vocal about the excitement and nerves that come with the first fully crewed round-the-world leg. For the 11th Hour Racing Team, final checks and measurements were planned months in advance. The squad arrived in Alicante just as the new year began, ready to finalize preparations and get a sense of the port that will host them at the start line. A team member named Denizci noted that the final steps feel ceremonial after a long period of pre-season work. The sheer scale of the operation can be surprising, but it also marks a moment of opportunity that motivates every participant to push for a strong performance from the very first port stop.
Four VO65s currently occupy the Ocean Live Park marina, with the remaining entries set to arrive by Friday. The team from GUYOT environment-Team Europe has temporarily relocated to Barcelona for final checks. The VO65 racing program features a handful of boats across a new format intended to keep the action compact and highly competitive.
Among the VO65 entrants, the field includes a mix of nationalities and backgrounds. Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team from Portugal, WindWhisper Racing Team from Poland, JAJO Team from the Netherlands, Ambersail 2 from Lithuania, Viva México from Mexico, and the Austria-Genoa alliance led by Gerwin Jansen all bring diverse crews into the mix. Collectively, they add a dynamic energy to the in-port and in-harbor racing that accompanies the main legs of the voyage.
Spain will also see a number of sailors taking part with prominent names confirmed within several crews. The mix of veteran endurance skippers and new talent promises to deliver a memorable competition. Ambersail 2’s captain Rokas Milevičius spoke of the pride in flying the Lithuanian flag on the starting line and highlighted the team’s readiness to begin racing and learn quickly from the experience. The atmosphere in Alicante reflects a blend of anticipation and camaraderie as teams observe their rivals from the piers and prepare for the opening stages.
Ahead, a large safety operation will be in place to protect both competitors and spectators. The Ocean Live Park will open its gates ahead of the In-Port races on Sunday, January 8, with the VO65 Harbor Race at 1400 CET, followed by the IMOCA Harbor Race at 1600 CET. All races will be broadcast live on Warner Bros platforms, with coverage also available on Discovery, Eurosport and the Ocean Race website. A global viewing plan will be released to detail the best ways to follow the action from multiple viewing points worldwide.
Since its launch in 1973, The Ocean Race has stood as one of sailing’s most demanding tests, combining high-speed sailing with human endurance. The 14th edition will depart Alicante on January 15 and finish in Genoa, Italy, in early summer 2023. The route covers nine iconic cities around the world over roughly six months, including Cape Town and Itajaí, and features a strategic circuit of three major southern caps. The fleet will traverse Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn non-stop for the first time in its history. In addition to the five IMOCAs, up to five VO65s will sail in three staged events, with a potential new trophy on the line for the VO65 Sprint Cup, expanding the race’s reach and prestige for the teams and sponsors involved.