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11th Hour Racing at The Ocean Race Starting Line on Sunday

After an in-port race in Cape Town yesterday, the five IMOCA 60s in The Ocean Race are set to take off on Sunday for the longest leg ever included in this round-the-world race. The crews will be racing for about a month as they sail the 12,750-nautical-mile course from South Africa, heading south of Australia, New Zealand and around Cape Horn before finishing in Itajaí, Brazil. This is about 40% of the total 32,000-mile race.

The Ocean Race route
The next leg is the longest ever in the 50-year history of the race.
© 2023 The Ocean Race

We imagine racing for 30+ days in these chilly southern latitudes at 20-30 knots is going to be a mind-, body- and boat-testing experience. It’s hard for us to envision the challenges of simply eating and sleeping in those conditions, never mind keeping your boat safe, and moving fast and ahead of your competitors. They’ll be experiencing long, high-speed surfs as they sail through the Roaring Forties and the Furious Fifties.

The American 11th Hour Racing team, with the Bay Area’s Bill Erkelens as COO, took second in yesterday’s in-port race and is in second place overall for the event.

Starting Sunday, you can follow 11th Hour Racing and The Ocean Race here.

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"I thought she was kidding — until, that is, her eyes narrowed and a chill went through me, and I'm telling you, she had a voice I'd never heard before. 'Get this boat!' she said."