{"id":1369,"date":"2026-09-14T18:24:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T16:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/navigante.de\/2026\/09\/14\/french-team-united-by-the-ocean-narrowly-clinches-victory-in-the-ocean-race-atlantic\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T18:24:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T16:24:00","slug":"french-team-united-by-the-ocean-narrowly-clinches-victory-in-the-ocean-race-atlantic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navigante.de\/en\/2026\/09\/14\/french-team-united-by-the-ocean-narrowly-clinches-victory-in-the-ocean-race-atlantic\/","title":{"rendered":"French Team “United by the Ocean” Narrowly Clinches Victory in “The Ocean Race Atlantic”"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Team United by the Ocean. \u00a9 Vincent Curutchet – The Ocean Race Atlantic <\/em><\/p>\n

Paul Meilhat’s “United by the Ocean” (FRA) won “The Ocean Race Atlantic” Imoca regatta after a neck-and-neck race developed along the French coast with Francesca Clapcich’s second-placed team “11th Hour Racing” (USA), where the two teams vied for position for several hours.<\/p>\n

In contrast to the rapid pace on the open Atlantic at the start of the race, where the fleet of six 60-foot IMOCA yachts sailed for several days on the edge of an eastward-moving low-pressure system in rough seas and at speeds of over 30 knots, the final hours of the race unfolded in approximately 10 knots of wind and calm seas. For Paul Meilhat, this transatlantic victory follows his triumph in the same boat (then “Biotherm”) in last year’s edition of “The Ocean Race Europe,” which was predominantly characterized by light winds. <\/p>\n

“The boat is not the newest model,” said Meilhat. “It’s fast, but we had some difficult moments because it’s not really fast in high waves. Three days ago, we had a tough night in high waves coming from the wrong direction. But we know that in moderate and light winds on flat water, it’s really fast. Many regattas end in these conditions. We are a good team with this boat, and it works well.”
\nWhen asked if there was a specific factor during the Atlantic leg of “The Ocean Race” that led to the victory, Meilhat remained reserved, stating: “For me, the result is not what’s important. It’s how we achieved this result. That’s why I prefer to keep the good moments in mind and consider how we can repeat them in the future.” <\/p>\n

“To sail such a 3,000-mile transatlantic regatta and end up only minutes apart is a dream. That’s why we race \u2013 we want to compete against other teams, and that’s pretty cool. You get so close to the other teams that you don’t even look at the numbers anymore because you see them right in front of you. You sail against them and have them directly in sight \u2013 that’s quite impressive.” <\/p>\n

After the “11th Hour Racing” crew opted for a more southerly route than the other frontrunners on their last night at sea, they took the lead ahead of Kojiro Shiraishi’s “DMG MORI Global One” (JPN), which had led the fleet for the previous 48 hours.<\/p>\n

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11th Hour Racing as the second team before Lorient. \u00a9 Jean-Louis Carli \u2013 The Ocean Race <\/em><\/p>\n

Shortly thereafter, “United by the Ocean” also overtook the Japanese boat, leading to a neck-and-neck race between the two leading teams to the finish line.<\/p>\n

In the final hours, there was no difference between the two leading boats, as their course lines gradually converged over the last 10 nautical miles to the finish line north of \u00cele de Groix near Lorient. Ultimately, Meilhat’s northerly positioning in the light and variable winds paid off \u2013 as the French boat gained a narrow lead of one nautical mile, which it defended to the finish. <\/p>\n

The “United by the Ocean” crew completed the transatlantic course in seven days, 23 hours, 39 minutes and 11 seconds, while “11th Hour Racing” finished eight minutes and 56 seconds later.<\/p>\n

Behind the leading duo, the crew of “DMG MORI Global One” had to fend off a fierce comeback attempt by Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia (GER). Malizia had been 40 nautical miles behind the leaders around midday. Exactly five minutes behind DMG Mori Global One, Team Malizia crossed the finish line in Lorient, securing fourth place. <\/p>\n

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Malizia with intact foils. \u00a9 Gauthier Lebec \u2013 Team Malizia \u2013 The Ocean Race <\/em><\/p>\n

Although Team Malizia had to settle for fourth place, Cole Brauer stated that the crew was proud of their performance \u2013 especially given that they were hampered by damage to the port foil’s steering system for much of the crossing.<\/p>\n

“We had the problem with the foil tilt from day three or four \u2013 so in the middle of the Atlantic \u2013 and then had to rig a makeshift solution to keep going. We had 40 knots of wind and then suddenly no wind. To catch up after being 100 miles behind and then lose the win in the last mile is, I have to say, really crushing.” <\/p>\n

“We gave it our all every inch of the way. From the moment we learned about the foil situation, we never let up. That’s why I’m a bit emotional, because I haven’t eaten or slept well and have been sick since day one. As a team, we stuck together much better than I could have imagined. We all worked together brilliantly. Justine Mettraux (SUI) and I were absolute powerhouses on our shift. When the going gets tough, you just have to go full throttle.” <\/p>\n

With the first four boats now safely at the finish, attention turns to the last two teams \u2013 Oliver Heer’s “Embrace the Challenge” (SUI) in fifth place and Conrad Colman’s “MSIG Europe” (NZL) in sixth.<\/p>\n

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DMG MORI Global One. \u00a9 Anne Beauge, DMG Mori Global One \u2013 The Ocean Race <\/em><\/p>\n

Samantha Davies (GBR) from “DMG MORI Global One” said the crew had been expecting a neck-and-neck race between four boats to the finish for several days. “It’s incredible that it came down to such a close finish,” she said. “We’ve been seeing this coming for a few days. I find it all the more impressive that we crossed the ocean so close together and that there were position changes, so not just one person dominated. For me, the interesting thing was that it was a bit about boat speed, a bit about strategy, and a bit about luck \u2013 that’s what made it fun across the Atlantic the whole time.” <\/p>\n

Davies also said that the week-long race had been a great learning process for the crew \u2013 consisting of two Japanese sailors as well as a Briton and a Frenchman \u2013 as their main goal is to circumnavigate the world as part of “The Ocean Race” next year. “The best team-building exercise is to take the team out of their comfort zone \u2013 and we definitely achieved that in this transatlantic regatta, because it was really brutal for several days. We pushed the boat and ourselves to our limits. That’s exactly where you learn how each individual in the team behaves, how you support each other, and how you communicate with each other. We have just seen the strengths of each team member and the incredible communication in this international, multicultural team.” <\/p>\n

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Japan’s sailing legend Kojiro Shiraishi. The skipper is known for his inspiring personality and many years of experience, and has set himself the goal of connecting the world through the fascination of offshore regatta sailing. <\/em>
\n\u00a9 Anne Beauge, DMG Mori Global One<\/em><\/p>\n

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Oliver Heer’s (SUI) “Embrace the Challenge” team crossed the finish line in Lorient in fifth place in the early morning hours of Friday at 01:36:17 UTC \/ 03:36:17 CEST. \u00a9 Vincent Curutchet \u2013 The Ocean Race <\/em><\/p>\n

The team looks back on a mixed record in this first edition of “The Ocean Race Atlantic”: with a strong start and good performances in the first days of the race, it had initially positioned itself well. However, a significant tear in the mainsail, which occurred under rough conditions halfway through the race, caused the Swiss boat to fall behind the leaders and lose connection with the powerful weather system that propelled the top four across the Atlantic. <\/p>\n

Instead of fighting for a podium finish, the “Embrace the Challenge” crew was largely on their own in the second half of the race, sailing behind the leaders but generally comfortably ahead of the non-foiling team “MSIG Europe.”
\nThe team also achieved some success in the Super Sprint Series, securing two victories in the eight sprints and finishing fourth overall.<\/p>\n

“We are a very happy crew,” Heer said on the dock after the early morning finish. “We learned a lot on the race course. I think for our first race, we achieved what we set out to do. To be only 12 hours behind the winner in our first race in such a fleet is a good result…” <\/p>\n

“The first days of the race went well, we had good pace and found that we could keep up with the fleet, even though we were the oldest foiling boat and the newest crew,” Heer said on the dock after the finish.<\/p>\n

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The crew with skipper Conrad Colman, consisting of Anna Marchant, Megan Thomson, and Elie Pirnay, finished the regatta in sixth place. \u00a9 Jean-Louis Carli | The Ocean Race <\/em><\/p>\n

MSIG Europe was scored as finished on site by the race committee due to light winds and unfavorable tidal currents on a shortened course, approximately 15 miles from the finish line. The official finish time is 2026-12-09 at 07:40:00 UTC, after 9 days, 7 hours, and 40 minutes of race time. <\/p>\n

Although the deficit of almost two days to the winners, “United by the Ocean,” was considerable, the predominantly New Zealander crew aboard MSIG Europe showed a strong performance \u2013 the only boat in the fleet equipped with a straight keel and daggerboard, which put it at a significant disadvantage compared to the foilers.<\/p>\n

In many ways, Conrad Colman, the New Zealand skipper of the team, has much in common with Paul Meilhat. Beyond their incredible passion for offshore sailing, both sailors share the same determination, energy, and ability to move mountains to realize their projects and see them through to the end. Conrad is one of those sailors who spare no effort to seize the incredible opportunity to participate in the top regattas of their sport, and who give everything they have on the water. <\/p>\n

A year after participating in “The Ocean Race Europe” alongside Alan Roura, Conrad was back aboard a boat he knows inside and out, having purchased it in 2022. This Verdier-designed IMOCA with a straight keel is the oldest boat in the fleet, launched in 2007. But that hardly matters: the boat is reliable, and Conrad knows it very well. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Team 11th Hour Racing “Francesca Clapcich” in a hard-fought second place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1370,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-unkategorisiert"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/navigante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/navigante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/navigante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/navigante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/navigante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/navigante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/navigante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/navigante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/navigante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/navigante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}