OUR NEWS

Crossing the finish line. (C)Vincent Curutchet / The Ocean Race Atlantic At 01:36:17 UTC on Friday 11 September, Embrace The Challenge crossed the finish line of The Ocean Race Atlantic in Lorient, completing our first race of the campaign in 8 days 11 hours 36 minutes 17 seconds to take 5th place. The team arrived tired but elated after a relentless 3263 nautical mile North Atlantic crossing from New York. We wanted an opportunity to test ourselves, the boat and the wider te

Embrace The Challenge have now passed the halfway point, and any idea that this race was going to feel like a short sprint across the Atlantic has long since disappeared. After a few big days, some serious miles and a major mainsail repair, this race was starting to feel like a war of attrition. AN ENERGY BOOSTER For a while, The Ocean Race’s new daily Super Sprint (a 20-minute race within the race) felt like a distant extra. Survival, repairs and keeping the boat movi

Embrace The Challenge is back racing at full speed in The Ocean Race Atlantic after the team completed a seven-hour repair to a 3-metre tear in the mainsail. On the evening of 5 September, the team was racing in strong winds with two reefs already in the mainsail. As wind speeds increased to 40 knots, they made the decision to put in a third reef, further reducing the mainsail area to de-power the boat. During the manoeuvre, the mainsail tore just inside the leech line (the r

(C) Vincent Curutchet / The Ocean Race Atlantic Embrace The Challenge slipped away from New York City in wet fog, the skyline disappearing rapidly. There was the ceremonial start, then a long transition offshore towards the real start line. That stretch gave everyone a chance to settle. The boat went quiet. People found their own space, did their own thing and started getting into race mode. Sleep was patchy. The heat and humidity onboard made it difficult to get properly

Embrace The Challenge has left the dock in New York. The first race of our campaign is about to begin. With the Statue of Liberty watching over New York harbour, Ollie Heer, Liz Wardley, Marie Riou, Lincoln Dews and onboard reporter Paddy Condy stepped onboard Embrace The Challenge and waved goodbye. The dock-out ceremony began with the traditional sailors’ parade, as the crews made their way past crowds of supporters, journalists, partners, friends and family cheering the sa

Director of The Ocean Race, Mirko Groeschner, officially welcomes Ollie. The Ocean Race 2027 is no longer an ambition. It's part of the plan. It's confirmed: Embrace The Challenge will compete in The Ocean Race 2027. For Ollie, it is the fulfilment of a childhood dream. For the campaign, it is a major milestone on the road to the Vendée Globe 2028. And for the team, it helps shape the race calendar for the next year as preparations gather momentum on and off the water. With T

The Ocean Race Atlantic - it's not about surviving alone, it's about performing together. Meet our team.

A sailing campaign is more than just a race, it's a multi-year journey of qualifying events and preparation.

How to Follow Ollie Heer’s Historic Vendée Globe Finish Swiss-German sailor Oliver Heer is on the final stretch of the Vendée Globe, the...

The International Jury of the Transat CIC dismissed allegations against Ollie, concluding that no rules were broken

This race was not the promised downwind dash, instead it was a true test of strategy and resilience

'Unusual' might be the understatement of the race, even the start was unconventional

Follow the race all the way from to New York to France on

Oliver Heer finishes the gruelling Transat CIC keeping his dream of being the first Swiss-German to compete in the Vendée Globe alive

Sometimes in life things go wrong. Really wrong! Despite thorough planning and your best efforts, you can find yourself in what feels like a hopeless situation. It is hugely frustrating and disappointing and can feel scary and overwhelming. You may not be able to prevent or avoid the situation from happening, but you can choose how to deal with it. Getting back on top as quickly as possible takes mental strength, showing the resilience and determination of a true hero. T

The Transat CIC race has a reputation for providing challenging sailing conditions, which tests both the boats and the skippers to the...

How to follow The Transat CIC race

The first race of the season is The Transat CIC Race from Lorient, France to New York. Race Origins and Legacy The Transat CIC, formerly...

A look back at our 2023 season. 2023 has been a rollercoaster of a year, for Ollie and the team, with a mix of smooth and rough patches,...

Main photograph ©Jean-Marie Liot / Alea. An eventful first 24 hours of racing for IMOCA fleet in the Transat Jaques Vabre. The start of...