New tech for offshore racing audience

PredictWind, a global leader in marine weather forecasting, has developed a new race tracker which will be used for The Ocean Race Europe 2025, The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026, and The Ocean Race 2027. The tracker has been transformed into a dynamic platform that offers unprecedented access to real-time race data and insights, providing viewers with the immersive feeling of being onboard.

Highlight features:
• Live GPS Tracking: An intuitive interface with dynamic 2D and 3D views for precise yacht positioning.
• Global Weather Overlays: Comprehensive weather forecast and retrospective datasets to enhance understanding of meteorological conditions.
• Predictive Routing: Visualizations of each yacht’s projected course, using real-time weather, boat polars, and PredictWind’s routing engine.
• Full Telemetry Feed: Includes boat speed, course over ground, true wind angle, distance to leader, distance to finish, distance traveled, and projected distance to next mark/finish line (all in nautical miles).
• Multimedia integration: Updates from the on board reporter (OBR) and race crews on each boat are integrated within the race tracker.

“This new race tracker, designed and built in collaboration with PredictWind, is an innovative and engaging platform that puts the fan first,” said Richard Brisius, Race Chairman of The Ocean Race. “From predictive analytics to immersive content from on board the boats, the new tracker takes the fan experience to a new level.”

Adds Jon Bilger, PredictWind Founder, “Partnering with The Ocean Race is a huge moment for us. Our team has worked hard to deliver a product that doesn’t just track the fleet but tells the full story of the offshore race, in real time, with technology that’s never been this powerful or this accessible.”

A version of the tracker will be available for media and race teams to embed on their sites, to expand the reach of the race and enable new and existing fans to follow the event in their favorite online environment.

The new tracking and weather platform will go live on August 10 with the start of The Ocean Race Europe 2025 as the fleet of seven IMOCAs leave Kiel, Germany and race to Portsmouth (UK), Matosinhos / Porto (Portugal – fly-by stop), Cartagena (Spain), Nice (France), and Genova (Italy), before finishing in Boka Bay (Montenegro).

Details: https://www.theoceanrace.com/en/

The Ocean Race will begin again in 2027 using the IMOCA class boat, with two earlier events providing training and exposure to prospective teams. In 2025, The Ocean Race Europe will start on August 10 from Kiel, Germany and take a route south around the Iberian Peninsula and into the Mediterranean Sea. In 2026, The Ocean Race Atlantic will start in New York, USA and finish in Barcelona, Spain.

Source: The Ocean Race