The Ocean Race Europe 2025 will start from Kiel

Previously, Kiel was the finish port of the Volvo Ocean Race 2001-02 and last year the German city hosted a hugely successful Fly-By on the penultimate leg of The Ocean Race 2022-23.

The race in 2025 will be the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe, following a debut event in the summer of 2021. This event will build on the foundations of the inaugural race and will be held under the banner of “Connecting Europe” with a race course that stretches from the Baltic Sea, through the North Sea and English Channel, into the Atlantic Ocean before a finish in the Mediterranean Sea. Racing will take place in the newest generation of high-tech IMOCA boats that foil above the water at record-breaking speeds.

“Starting The Ocean Race Europe from Kiel is an opportunity to demonstrate the power of sport to connect us and serve a larger purpose,” said Richard Brisius, Race Chairman of The Ocean Race.

“I have no doubt that the cutting-edge, foiling IMOCA boats and the extraordinary women and men who sail them will produce an exceptional race on the water and an incredible experience for race fans in Kiel, a two-time host of sailing at the Olympic Games and a city whose Kiel Week regatta has become world-renowned as the home of the largest sailing event in Europe. But we are determined for The Ocean Race Europe to be more than a great sailing race. All of us here today are firm in our belief that we are in a Race for the Ocean, that the restoration of ocean health is key to life on our planet.

“This Race for the Ocean is also about creating real changes in policy for the Ocean, calling for a reset in the relationship between humanity and the Ocean. Initiatives around The Ocean Race Europe will support learning initiatives for race fans and school children while our on board science programme will collect data from the race boats for experts to analyse as they continue to learn about the changes taking place in our waters, from the Baltic Sea in northern Europe to the Mediterranean in the South.”

“Having the data gathered by the sailors in The Ocean Race is incredibly useful for our studies. The ocean is generally undersampled and in places like the Southern Ocean this is especially the case, so this allows us to learn about the ocean and how it is changing over time and feeds into predictive models as well,” confirmed Léa Olivier, a researcher with the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research who is one of the scientists using the data collected during The Ocean Race.

Racing is scheduled to start on 10 August 2025 from Kiel and finish in the Mediterranean Sea approximately six weeks later, depending on the final race route. More city announcements are anticipated this spring.

The Ocean Race Europe will have the support of the EU Mission – Restore our Ocean and Waters, an initiative to raise awareness about the Ocean and protect it from current challenges.

Text and images courtesy of The Ocean Race. Visit theoceanrace.com to read the full announcement.