This afternoon Oliver Heer departed onboard his IMOCA 60 from Saint-Malo, Brittany in his first ever Route du Rhum race. The 3,542 nautical mile race see’s the skippers race across the atlantic to the finish line in Guadeloupe. The Swiss IMOCA sailor is “out to prove himself” in the famous French race.
138 skippers, 38 in the IMOCA class, departed from the start line at 14:15 CET today – after a three day postponement due to bad weather. Since the 26 October almost 2.5 million spectators flocked to Saint-Malo to witness the build-up to the race.
La Route du Rhum is a 3,542 nautical mile race, which comes around just every four years. The race takes skippers from Saint-Malo in Brittany, France across the Atlantic to the finish line at Pointe-à Pitre, Guadeloupe in the Caribbean.
Despite never competing in the Route du Rhum before, Oliver Heer is determined that he will get to the finish line in Guadeloupe. With his experience as boat caption for Alex Thomson’s HUGO BOSS he is well placed to deal with any technical issue that may arise during this race and now wants to prove himself in the IMOCA class.
Ahead of the race start today, Ollie said: “It’s great to be here in Saint-Malo. The build-up to this race has been incredible and the suspense has only continued to build with the delayed start.’
“For me this race is a real opportunity to test myself, this is my first single handed offshore race in the IMOCA class and the main objective for myself and the team is to cross the finish line and enjoy a rum in Guadeloupe”
“The team and I have done a lot of hard work preparing the boat to give me the best opportunity in the race. We are confident that we are ready and can start the race today today without any worries about the equipment and systems on board. That said, this is offshore sailing so undoubtedly something will break along the way, but I’m ready for that. I know the boat inside and have worked with my team to build a strong inventory of tools and spares.”
The Route du Rhum will see two other Swiss IMOCA skippers competing in the race, Justine Mettraux and Alan Roura, both outfits have newer generation foiling boats, nevertheless Ollie is keen to keep in close contact with the other Swiss skippers.
“It is great to see other Swiss skippers in the race and in fact we are now the second biggest nationality in this race after the French. I’m hoping during the race to be able to speak to both Alan and Justine to see how they are doing and we may have a few surprizes for each other along the way.”
The start this afternoon saw the skippers set off in good conditions and for Ollie onboard there where not issues with other vessels, which can often be a challenge as these larger race starts. The foiling boats took an early lead but Ollie sailed his IMOCA 60 well and was well placed 12th in the fleet as the boat sailed over the horizon.
The first few days of the race will see tough conditions as the fleet battle to head west as quickly as possible while dodging the strong weather fronts that have already played a major part in this race.
Ollie and the team want to thank all the supporters, family and friends who have supported his team thus far and hope that this race will help in finally securing the title sponsor stop.
TRACKING AND RANKING
The tracker will be updated every hour around the clock, on the Official Route du Rhum Website: https://www.routedurhum.com
The same Live Tracking infos can be found also on the Route du Rhum official application named « Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe ».
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About Oliver Heer Ocean Racing
Oliver Heer Ocean Racing, was established in April 2022, as a global IMOCA 60 sailing team, with Swiss roots. Managed and skippered by 34 year old Oliver Heer. The objective is to compete in the 2024 Vendee Globe, the solo, non-stop, unassisted round the world race, that takes place every four years. The next edition starts in November 2024. The management headquarters are based in Zurich, Switzerland, where Oliver was born. The skipper has a family and home in the Hamble, UK and a French registered IMOCA sailing out of Port La Foret in Brittany, France.
The race program for 2022/23:
- Route Du Rhum - ST Malo to Guadeloupe – November 2022
- Bermudes 1000 - Brest to Brest, France – May 2023
- RORC Fastnet Race - Cowes, UK – July 2023
- Defi Azimut - Lorient, France – September 2023
- TJV - Le Havre to Martinique – October 2023
- Back to Basics – Martinique – November, 2023
Sustainability and Climate Change
As a wind-powered sport, ocean racing is intrinsically linked with positive conversations about sustainability, climate change, and environmental preservation. The team will carry the tag #RaceForChange and wants to influence behavioural changes in society that can contribute to protecting the planet for future generations.
Partnerships
The team is still looking for title partners and side partners to #Joinusonourjourney
For further information please contact communications@oliverheer.com
Website: www.oliverheer.com