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On Sunday, 17 January 2027, the fleet of The Ocean Race 2027 leaves Alicante, and the very first leg is set to be a record-breaker: non-stop for around 14,000 nautical miles to Auckland in New Zealand. Here you will find the start programme, route, teams, rules and how to follow the race live (as of 14 November 2026).
The essentials at a glance
- The start is on 17 January 2027 in Alicante (Spain). An exact start time has not yet been published. Alicante is on the same time as Germany (CET).
- The route leads via Auckland, Itajaí (Brazil), St. Pete-Clearwater (Florida) and Cascais (Portugal) into the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal and on to the finish at AMAALA on the Red Sea. The fleet is expected there around 30 June 2027.
- The race is sailed on foiling IMOCA yachts with four sailors on board, including at least one woman, plus an onboard reporter.
- Four teams have entered so far, including Team Malizia with German skipper Boris Herrmann on the new “Malizia 4”.
- You can follow the race on the official website of The Ocean Race. The live tracker is expected to run there from the start, as in 2026.
When and where does The Ocean Race 2027 start?
The fleet leaves Alicante on 17 January 2027. The city on the Costa Blanca is the race headquarters and is hosting the start for the sixth time in a row.
The teams will be in port from 3 January, when safety and technical inspections begin. On 8 January the Ocean Live Park race village opens at the harbour. Admission is free. There you can see the boats up close and meet the crews. All dates are listed in the official programme for Alicante.
The organiser has not yet announced the time of the starting gun. As Alicante is in the same time zone as Germany, any time given in the official programme applies directly as German time (CET).
Will the start be moved to Porto?
No, not for 2027. From 2028 the race headquarters will move to Porto. The round-the-world races in 2030, 2034 and 2038 are due to start there, and a special race is planned in Porto for 2028. The start in January 2027 remains in Alicante.
| Alicante programme | Date |
|---|---|
| Arrival of the teams, inspections | from 3 January 2027 |
| Opening of Ocean Live Park | 8 January 2027 |
| In-port race | 10 January 2027 |
| Skippers' press conference | 16 January 2027 |
| Start for Auckland | 17 January 2027 |
What route will The Ocean Race 2027 take?
The route goes once around the world, covering around 32,000 nautical miles. Six host cities are confirmed, and a further stop in the Mediterranean is considered likely. All distances are rounded race distances; the distance actually sailed depends on the weather.
Alicante – Auckland: the longest opening leg
The first leg measures around 14,000 nautical miles. It leads out of the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar, down the Atlantic across the equator and through the Doldrums, around the Cape of Good Hope, through the Southern Ocean and into the Pacific to Auckland.
This leg counts double. Half of the points are awarded at a scoring gate off Cape Town, the other half on arrival in Auckland. The fleet is expected there around 20 February 2027.
From New Zealand around Cape Horn to the Americas
On 14 March the fleet leaves Auckland, crossing the Southern Ocean and rounding Cape Horn to Itajaí in southern Brazil. The city is taking part for the fifth time in a row. From 18 April the fleet sails north from there to St. Pete-Clearwater on Florida's Gulf Coast. The region is hosting for the first time.
Across the Atlantic to Europe and into the Red Sea
On 16 May the leg across the Atlantic to Cascais, west of Lisbon, gets under way, covering around 4,500 nautical miles. This leg also counts double. From 6 June the fleet sails into the Mediterranean to a finish line off Port Said in Egypt. The fleet then travels through the Suez Canal together, without racing. The finale is a short sprint of around 135 nautical miles in the northern Red Sea to AMAALA on the coast of Saudi Arabia, the race's first-ever finish venue.
| Harbour | Stopover (as of November 2026) |
|---|---|
| Alicante (Spain) | 8–17 January 2027, start on 17 January |
| Auckland (New Zealand) | 20 February – 14 March 2027 |
| Itajaí (Brazil) | 31 March – 18 April 2027 |
| St. Pete-Clearwater (USA) | 4–16 May 2027 |
| Cascais (Portugal) | 26 May – 6 June 2027 |
| AMAALA (Red Sea) | 1–5 July 2027, finish |
Which boats will be sailed?
Racing takes place exclusively in the IMOCA class. These are 60-foot racing yachts, around 18 metres long, which, with foils on their sides, partly lift out of the water when there is enough wind. It is the same class as in the Vendée Globe and the Atlantic race Route du Rhum. There the skippers sail alone, whereas in The Ocean Race they sail with a crew.
What rules apply to the crews?
There are exactly four sailors on board for every race. At least one member of the crew must be a woman, and the crew must come from at least two nations.
There is also an onboard reporter. He or she does not sail but supplies pictures, videos and reports. If a crew member leaves the boat during a leg, for example in an emergency, they may not be replaced for that leg. Scoring is by points: the winner of a leg gets 10 points, second place 9, and so on. In-port races in several host cities are added to this.
Which teams are taking part in The Ocean Race 2027?
Four teams have entered so far (as of 14 November 2026).
- Team Malizia with the German skipper Boris Herrmann on the new “Malizia 4”.
- United by the Ocean with the French skipper Paul Meilhat and the Portuguese sailor Mariana Lobato as co-skipper.
- DMG MORI Sailing Team with the Japanese skipper Kojiro Shiraishi on the new boat “DMG MORI Global One”. The team includes the experienced navigator Nicolas Lunven, who still sailed for Team Malizia in 2022/23.
- Embrace The Challenge with the Swiss skipper Oliver Heer. In 2025 he became the first German-speaking Swiss sailor to finish the Vendée Globe.
The New Zealander Conrad Colman, who sailed The Ocean Race Atlantic in 2026 with “MSIG Europe”, is still working on his participation. There is no firm entry so far.
Team Malizia and Boris Herrmann
In Boris Herrmann, Team Malizia fields the only German skipper among the registered teams. In the last edition in 2022/23 the team finished third, and in 2027 it will compete with the new boat launched in July 2026. At The Ocean Race Atlantic in September, the crew missed out on the podium by just a few minutes. Most recently, Herrmann took second place in the IMOCA class in the singlehanded Route du Rhum race on 12 November. You can find out more about the person, the boat and the plans in our article Boris Herrmann: latest news.
Where can you follow The Ocean Race live?
The quickest way is via the official website of The Ocean Race. The live tracker, which the organiser has developed with the weather service PredictWind for the races up to 2027, is expected to be activated there from the start, as in 2026.
The tracker shows the positions of all boats, boat speed, wind, distance to the leader and to the finish, as well as weather maps and the projected courses. At The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026 it ran around the clock from the starting gun. There was also a live start show and daily broadcasts direct from on board, free of charge on YouTube. For 2027, the onboard reporter will stay in constant contact with race headquarters in Alicante via the OnboardLive system.
Current status (14 November 2026)
The route is fixed as far as Cascais, while an additional stop in the Mediterranean before the Suez Canal is still open. The start time in Alicante has not yet been published. In September all four teams sailed The Ocean Race Atlantic from New York to Lorient: United by the Ocean won, DMG MORI Global One came third, Team Malizia fourth and Embrace The Challenge fifth.
Frequently asked questions
When does The Ocean Race 2027 start?
On Sunday, 17 January 2027, in Alicante. The exact time is not yet known, but it applies in Germany too, without any time conversion.
How long does The Ocean Race 2027 last?
Around five and a half months. The fleet is expected in AMAALA on the Red Sea around 30 June 2027, and the sailors' farewell parade takes place on 5 July.
How long is the first leg?
Around 14,000 nautical miles from Alicante to Auckland, the longest in the history of the race. Arrival is expected around 20 February.
Is there a German skipper taking part?
Yes, Boris Herrmann is sailing with Team Malizia on the “Malizia 4”. From Switzerland, Oliver Heer is taking part with Embrace The Challenge.
Is there an admission charge to watch in Alicante?
No, the Ocean Live Park at the harbour is open free of charge from 8 January 2027.
Experience offshore regattas for yourself
A race around the world remains the preserve of professionals, but you can also sail crewed regattas yourself. On Törnfinder you will find regatta sailing trips to join as crew and Sailing trips across the Atlantic, where you get to know long passages on the open sea.
