11th Hour Racing Team wins the Ocean Race

After almost 6 months of voyage, sailing around the world, there are little more than 24 hours left for the end of this spectacular regatta that has been captivating spectators and sailing enthusiasts since 1973.

For the first time in 14 editions, an American boat has been proclaimed champion. The 11th Hour Racing Team, after a spectacular comeback thanks to the victory in 3 of the last 4 legs, has managed to overcome Team Holcim-PRB. Team Holcim-PRB, a team that was undoubtedly greatly harmed by having retired in the fourth leg, as they only finished second by a difference of 3 points.

That is why, after finishing the last leg, Team Holcim-PRB desperately filed a protest against the 11th Hour Racing Team, due to the collision suffered at the start of this last leg. Unfortunately for the Swiss team, the jury rejected the request and the victory of the 11th Hour Racing Team was subsequently announced.

The final standings show the 11th Hour Racing Team 3 points ahead of Team Holcim-PRB in second, Team Malizia in third, Biotherm in fourth and GUYOT environnement - Team Europe in fifth place.

American skipper Charlie Enright was thrilled. "To be the first U.S. team to lift this trophy is an exceptional honor, and sharing the message for ocean health has made this a truly impactful global campaign. It's not the way I would have written it, but victory is sweet nonetheless," Enright concluded.

On the other hand, as for the VO65 boats, the clear winner has been the Team WindWhisper Racing that has won all the stages disputed, full of victory in the 3 stages.

Tomorrow July 1st in Genoa we will witness an exciting and spectacular day as the culmination of this fantastic regatta. In the morning, we will have the final in-port races in Genoa. First, the VO65 boats will race, followed by the IMOCAs.

Once the races are over and in the early afternoon, we will witness the prize-giving ceremony of the Ocean Race Absolute and the recent in-port race held hours before on the central stage.

As a curiosity and to conclude this news, the Ocean Race 2022-23 has been the edition that has had more female sailors compared to all previous editions.

In total, between the five IMOCAs taking part in the Round the World Race and the six VO65s taking part in The Ocean Race Sprint, there were 39 female sailors, representing 28% of the total number of participants (a third more than in the previous edition of the regatta).