Back to Brazil for The Ocean Race

The Ocean Race 2021-22 will stop in Itajaí, Brazil, marking the fourth consecutive time the city on the Santa Catarina coastline will host this round the world, fully crewed offshore classic.

In 2017-18, Itajaí was among the most visited stopovers in the race, with over 440,000 race fans coming to the Race Village after the final Southern Ocean leg of the race.

With Brazilian Olympic champion Martine Grael taking part in the race for the first time, fans had an additional reason to show their support.

“In 2018, seeing the response of the home crowd to Martine Grael was a powerful reminder of what this sport – and The Ocean Race – means to our fans in Brazil,“ said Richard Brisius, Race Chairman of The Ocean Race.

“I’m very excited to hear that The Ocean Race will be returning to Itajaí. This is great news for Brazilian sailors and race fans,” said Torben Grael, Brazil’s five-time Olympic medallist, who skippered Ericsson 4 to victory in The Ocean Race 2008-09, and is now a board member of World Sailing.

In 2018, Grael, the most decorated Brazilian Olympian of all time, was among the fans on shore at the Race Village to welcome his daughter Martine’s arrival after a long Southern Ocean leg and saw first-hand the excitement the race generated.

“With a possible Brazilian entry in the next race, this interest could grow even more,” said Grael, who also skippered Brasil 1 in the 2005-06 event.

“The Ocean Race has become a leading attraction for Itajaí, not just for local visitors, but nationally and internationally as well,” said Volnei Morastoni, Mayor of Itajaí. “The economic impact of the last event was up by 28% compared to previous stops and we will work to ensure we keep building on that.”

Itajaí took advantage of race sustainability policies against the use of single-use plastics in the last race to prevent the use of 300,000 plastic cups in the Race Village and has subsequently applied similar policies to other events in the city and region, creating a lasting sustainability legacy.

“It’s inspiring to see the legacy of our sustainability initiatives from the last race having a meaningful, lasting impact,” said Johan Salén, the Managing Director of The Ocean Race.

The 14th edition of The Ocean Race is scheduled to start from its home port in Alicante, Spain in Q4 of 2021 and finish in Genoa, Italy in June of 2022. The full Race Route will be confirmed in the coming weeks. More details below.

Event details – Route – Teams – Facebook

The Ocean Race (formerly The Volvo Ocean Race), scheduled to start in 2021, will be raced in two classes of boats: the high-performance, foiling, IMOCA 60 class and the one-design VO65 class which has been used for the last two editions of the race. Entries in the IMOCA 60 class will compete for The Ocean Race trophy, while those racing the VO65s will chase the Ocean Challenge Trophy.

The Ocean Race is scheduled to start from its home port in Alicante, Spain in Q4 of 2021 and finish in Genoa, Italy in June of 2022. The full Race Route, to be confirmed in 2019, had previously revealed there would be up to nine stopover ports. Here’s what has been confirmed so far:

• Alicante, Spain: This historic Mediterranean port will host the start for the fifth consecutive edition in the autumn of 2021.

• Aarhus, Denmark: The course comes to the east coast of the Jutland peninsula during the spring of 2022, following a popular ‘Fly-By’ of the city during the final leg of the 2017-18 edition of the Race. Details.

• The Hague, Netherlands: This city along the North Sea coast will welcome the race for a third consecutive time, first coming as a ‘pitstop’ on the final leg of the 2014-15 edition and as the final finish port for the 2017-18 race. Details.

• Cabo Verde: More accustomed to having offshore teams sail by, or stop for repair, this archipelago of ten volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean will become just the second African venue the race has ever visited and the first West African nation to host the event. Details.

• Genoa, Italy: As the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, this first-time race host is Italy’s largest sea port yet remains full of grandeur as the gateway to the Riviera while offering weighty architectural heritage. Details.

• Itajaí, Brazil: To the south of Rio de Janeiro, Itajaí was founded in the mid-19th century by German and Italian colonists, and is now the commercial centre and Atlantic port for an agricultural region drained by the Itajaí River and its tributaries. Details.

Announced Entries:
• IMOCA – Team Malizia (GER)- Boris Herrmann (GER)
• VO65 – Racing For The Planet (POR)
• IMOCA – Paul Meilhat (FRA)
• IMOCA – 11th Hour Racing (USA) – Charlie Enright & Mark Towill (USA)

Source: The Ocean Race