Paul Meilhat’s United by the Ocean has won the inaugural Ocean Race Atlantic by eight minutes and 56 seconds over Francesca Clapcich’s 11th Hour Racing, while a New Zealand campaign built around developing young Kiwi offshore sailors continues towards Lorient on the fleet’s only non-foiling boat.
United by the Ocean crossed the line in Lorient after a 3,200 nautical mile race from New York, completing the course in 7 days, 23 hours, 39 minutes and 11 seconds. Five boats are now dockside in Lorient. Conrad Colman’s MSIG Europe remains at sea.
The finish
DMG MORI Global One held the lead approaching the French coast before sailing into lighter breeze. From there, 11th Hour Racing took over via a more southerly route, before Meilhat’s northerly positioning paid off in the final miles, the two lead boats converging over the closing 10 nautical miles north of Lorient’s Île de Groix. United by the Ocean held on by a single nautical mile to the finish.
Kojiro Shiraishi’s DMG MORI Global One held third, 8 days, 4 minutes and 40 seconds, with Boris Herrmann’s Malizia five minutes further back in fourth. The top four all finished within roughly half an hour of each other after more than a week at sea.
DMG MORI Global One’s third place was hard-earned. Navigator Nico Lunven reported an electronic blackout early in the race aboard the brand-new boat, launched barely two months before the start, one of several issues the crew worked through on its competitive debut.
Malizia races on with foil damage
Malizia’s race turned on a single moment on day three. At around 4.30am UTC, sailing at roughly 25 knots, the boat struck what the team believed was a small marine mammal or large fish with its port foil, causing a technical issue with the foil ram. The crew secured it in place with two fasteners and lashings, and while the team expected to return to full pace, foil rake limitations continued to affect the boat’s performance for the rest of the crossing, a handicap Herrmann’s crew overcame well enough to still finish a close fourth.
MSIG Europe still has miles to sail
Further back, Conrad Colman is still sailing towards Lorient aboard MSIG Europe. Built in 2007 as Groupe Bel, it’s the oldest hull in the fleet and the only one without foils. Colman, Auckland-born and the first New Zealander to race in the IMOCA class, was set to sail with three young Kiwi sailors, Megan Thomson, Anna Merchant and Aaron Hume-Merry. Hume-Merry dislocated his shoulder before the start and withdrew; his place was taken by Belgian shore crew member Elie Pirnay, with Georgia Schofield on board as On Board Reporter.
Colman made no secret before the start that MSIG Europe would struggle to match the newer foilers. He described the race instead as a chance to build the crew’s IMOCA experience and demonstrate the wider New Zealand campaign to potential partners. As of the latest team update, Colman’s crew had 280 nautical miles left to sail, with arrival in Lorient expected Saturday night.
Colman has completed two Vendée Globes, becoming the first skipper to finish one without burning fossil fuel, in the 2016-17 edition, 16th under jury rig after dismasting around 740 nautical miles from home. He again completed the race without fossil fuels in the 2024-25 edition, finishing 21st.
Auckland waits in 2027
For the leading teams, the Atlantic race also provided a major test before the next big date on the calendar: The Ocean Race starts from Alicante on 17 January 2027, just over four months from now, with the fleet due back in New Zealand waters soon after for a stopover that will form the longest opening leg in the race’s 53-year history.
