The Ocean Race organizers announced on October 25 that the 2027 edition of the crewed round-the-world race would finish in Amaala, Saudi Arabia. An opportunity for Tip & Shaft to talk to the event’s director, Johan Salén.
▶︎ After the 2023 edition, which brought together five Imoca crews (and six VO65s in a reduced format, who will no longer be taking part), what are your main objectives for The Ocean Race 2027?
The previous edition was a success overall, with positive feedback from cities, teams and sponsors. It was a transitional edition with the arrival of the Imoca, it also fell during the Covid period, which didn’t help, and it was the start of the collaboration with Warner Bros Discovery. So we feel that we can raise the level of the event in all areas, and that’s what we’re trying to do at the moment.
▶︎ Let’s start with the teams. Before the start of the Vendée Globe, we hear a lot of skippers say they’d like to start The Ocean Race in 2027. And is there a limit to the number of entrants?
The important thing for the 2023 edition is to get more entries, and I think we’re well on the way to that. Ideally, we’d like to have between 8 and 12 quality teams, bearing in mind that the Notice of Race limits the number of entries to ten, but allows for the possibility of wild cards. What we’re looking for is a real partnership with the teams, so we try to have more teams, but not too many either, in order to create as much value as possible for them, their sponsors and ours. And there are also major logistical constraints, in terms of accommodating the boats and the possibility of taking them out of the water during certain stopovers, so we can’t go beyond a certain number. In the Imoca class, there are quite a few sponsors who have no interests outside France, and compared with the teams’ operating budget, it’s an additional investment [of around 1.5 to 5 million euros, editor’s note], so not everyone can manage it. Another priority is to have more foreign teams. We’re currently in advanced discussions with New Zealand, the Middle East, Italy and Spain, as well as with the Netherlands and the UK.
“We want a stopover in France”
▶︎ Where do you stand on the route?
As in previous editions, the race will start in Alicante and we’ve just announced that it will finish in Amaala, Saudi Arabia. Between the two, Cape Verde has not yet been signed, but it’s likely that we’ll return there, as they’re very motivated. As for the Southern legs, we’re well advanced in our discussions with Cape Town and Auckland, but we haven’t completely decided whether we’ll do both or just one of them. What’s certain is that we’d prefer to stop in New Zealand, because while the long southern leg [the longest in the race’s history, between Cape Town and Itajai, editor’s note] last time was fun, it was also pretty risky. And New Zealand is a place where there’s a strong sailing tradition, even if they’re less into ocean racing than they used to be with the America’s Cup; we’d like to bring them back, which is why we’re in parallel discussions to have one or more New Zealand teams.
▶︎ After the South, where next?
Our priority is to continue working with Itajai, as the Brazilian stopover was a great success during the last edition. Elections have just been held there, and the local government has changed, but the non-political people who were in charge of the project want to continue. As for the United States, it’s very open, and two members of our team have just returned from a trip there where they visited several locations, from Newport to Miami, Boston, Charleston, Tampa and a couple of other places, and saw all the possible options. The reception was more positive than we expected, bearing in mind that in the United States, it’s always more difficult because there’s no public money to finance events like this. As for the Atlantic leg, we want to find a stopover in France, because we’re “half-French” in a way, thanks to our partnership with the Imoca. After that, there will probably be a short stopover, Genoa and Lisbon/Cascais are a possibility, before heading for Port-Saïd, at the entrance to the Suez Canal, and the final sprint in the Red Sea to Amaala.
▶︎ How did the partnership with Amaala come about?
It was Warner Bros Discovery, with whom we started working two and a half years ago, who put us in touch with Red Sea Global, our partner there, who had already committed to us on the last edition. They wanted to do more, and discussions began at the time, which led to a recent agreement.
“Saudi Arabia is a country
in full transformation”
▶︎ Saudi Arabia is the target of criticism, notably on the situation of human rights and gender equality. Did you take these elements into consideration when signing this partnership?
These are obviously issues we discussed, and we exchanged a great deal with our contacts, as well as with the teams who are most advanced in their participation project today. There was even someone from the Saudi organization who was in Lorient in December 2023 to present the project. Firstly, Red Sea Global is working on the notion of regenerative tourism, with the aim of improving the environment in which they settle. This includes 100% sustainable resorts, but also a scientific coral development program, to which we will contribute by collecting data from the boats. Secondly, the service provider we work with is in line with our philosophy, and is made up of equal numbers of Saudis and non-Saudis, men and women. As far as human rights are concerned, I don’t think the image people have of the country corresponds to the impression we got on the spot. Saudi Arabia is a country in the throes of transformation, both economically – because they’ve realized that oil isn’t going to last forever, hence the transition to a sustainable economy – and socially. The population is very young, with many people returning from abroad, because they feel that now is the time to take part in this transformation. Now, I’m not going to say that everything is perfect – there’s bound to be resistance to slow down this evolution – but it’s pretty impressive to see that there’s a kind of wave that’s changing the country, and it’s also affecting the place of women in society.
▶︎ Let’s talk about The Ocean Race Europe, the second edition of which will take place in the summer of 2025. And how many teams are you hoping to enter?
We still have one city in France to complete the course. The need expressed by many of the teams’ sponsors was to go to the Mediterranean, but to be honest, we’ve had more difficulty than we thought. There were several reasons for this: the political situation in France, the Olympic Games which slowed down discussions, current debates on public spending and the fact that in France, there are so many sailing events that it’s harder to find a place than in other countries. Today, we’re still talking, but the most serious possibilities are Toulon, Marseille and Antibes. As far as the teams are concerned, eight are registered, and we’re expecting three or four more, bearing in mind that, in terms of places in the ports, we can hardly go beyond twelve or fourteen.
▶︎ Let’s finish with The Ocean Race Atlantic, the transatlantic race between New York and Barcelona which you have announced will be launched in 2026. What is the objective of this new race?
The ambition is twofold: firstly, to have a race that acts as a rehearsal before the round-the-world race, a bit like the New York Vendée for the Vendée Globe, to test everything and make sure that everyone is ready, organizers, partners and teams, even if the race is also open to those who won’t be racing in The Ocean Race. Secondly, for commercial reasons. As the start of The Ocean Race is later than before, in January instead of October/November, it allows us to have an event likely to create value for teams and sponsors in 2026.
Photo: Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
