Race Complete - 5th Place in Our First Test
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 team. And that is exactly what we got.
Strong winds, demanding sailing, speeds of up to 35 knots and a huge tear in the mainsail put every part of the campaign under pressure. But the challenges also brought the team together and showed us how much we can achieve when everyone contributes their experience and skills.
“For our first race, we wanted an opportunity to test ourselves, the boat and the wider team—and the Atlantic certainly delivered,” said Ollie.
“It was intense and very tough at times, but I’m extremely happy with how our team performed. The boat is one piece, apart from that little rip in the mainsail, and the crew are in once piece. For our first race we achieved what we wanted, finishing 12 hours behind the winner in such a fleet is a good result and we’ve learned loads. This race has given me a lot of confidence and we are in a much stronger position as we prepare for The Ocean Race at the start of next year.”
Tested by the North Atlantic
The Ocean Race Atlantic was the crew’s first opportunity to compete together onboard Embrace The Challenge and measure our performance against a competitive IMOCA fleet.
One of the defining moments came early in the race on the evening of 5 September.
With wind speeds reaching 40 knots, the mainsail tore as the team attempted to put in a third reef. The crew lowered the sail in darkness before retreating to the safety of the cockpit and waiting until daylight to assess the damage.
At first light, they discovered a two-metre tear just inside the leech line. It was serious, but fixable.
With enough material for only one attempt, Ollie and Liz developed a plan to stitch the torn edges together before bonding a reinforcing patch over the damaged section.
Liz, a veteran of four editions of The Ocean Race, then spent around seven hours working inside the boom bag to complete the repair. Once it was finished, the team had to resist the temptation to get racing immediately and give the adhesive sufficient time to cure.
At 14:30 UTC, the mainsail was hoisted again and Embrace The Challenge returned to racing.
The incident had cost valuable miles and separated us from the rest of the fleet. But rather than simply protecting the repaired sail to the finish, the crew fought back, recovering a significant amount of the lost ground while carefully managing the sail.
For co-skipper, navigator and performance analyst Lincoln, the crossing also revealed important clues about the boat’s potential.
“This was a challenging race for us. A damaged sail is not an ideal situation and it was frustrating to become separated from the fleet." commented Lincoln
"It was a massive learning opportunity for me, and the whole team. These are incredibly complicated boats and it’s no secret we had only had the boat a few months and had not sailed together much. But to have this opportunity to go out and race alongside these other IMOCAs you learn where you’re fast and where you’re not. Being able to close the gap to the leaders and get back into the race is a really good sign of our performance potential.”
Building Towards The Ocean Race 2027
Completing The Ocean Race Atlantic is an important milestone for the entire Embrace The Challenge campaign.
Beyond the result itself, the crossing tested our decision-making, resilience and ability to perform together under pressure. It generated valuable performance data and gave us a much clearer understanding of the boat, its systems and where further gains can be made.
The focus now shifts from racing to development.
Embrace The Challenge will return to our base in Gosport for a winter refit. Everything we learned during the Atlantic crossing will feed directly into the next phase of the campaign as we prepare for The Ocean Race, starting from Alicante in January 2027.
Our first race delivered storms, setbacks, repairs and high-speed sailing. We leave the Atlantic with a stronger team, greater confidence and a much clearer picture of what it will take to compete in 2027.
We wanted a challenge and the Atlantic certainly delivered!
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