The Ocean Race 2027: Sail to Auckland to be longest opening leg in race history

When the fleet sets out for Auckland in the 2027 Ocean Race, they will travel halfway around the world before they are back on land.

The around-the-world race will return to New Zealand for the first time since 2018 as part of the next cycle, which departs from Alicante, Spain, on 17 January.

The fleet will be immediately faced with the challenge of completing the longest opening leg in the 53-year history of the race – a 14,000 nautical mile (25,928km) run that will see them travel on the Atlantic Ocean to the west of Africa before sailing on the Southern Ocean below Australia and arriving in New Zealand.

“This is an amazing way to start The Ocean Race: with an epic leg that takes us halfway around the world from Alicante to Auckland,” Team Malizia skipper Boris Herrmann said.

“For sailors, this is what we love, spending time at sea, racing against top competition and taking on big challenges. This is where you learn about yourself and your teammates and forge bonds that last a lifetime.”

The boats are expected to arrive in Auckland on February 20 before departing again on March 14.

While the full race route is set to be confirmed in the coming months, Auckland is currently one of four stops on the journey. From there, the fleet sail on the Southern Ocean to South America, around Cape Horn and up to Itajai in Brazil. They sail north after a stop in Brazil towards the United States before heading to Europe. Stopover venues in the United States and Europe are yet to be confirmed, before finishing at Amaala in Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea.

The 2027 event could also be the first time since Camper in 2012 that a New Zealand-flagged boat has been on the starting line.

Kiwi duo Conrad Colman and Rowan Gyde launched Aotearoa Ocean Racing early last year, which they hoped could become something of a national team in the pinnacle event.

“The goal is to create a national sailing team and to open the doors as wide as we possibly can to get as many Kiwi sailors on board the boat, also technicians and members of the marine industry,” Colman told the Herald.

“It’s a big, big team sport, not only on the water, but clearly the technicians and the mechanics that work on the boat have a direct impact on how successful we can be on the water as well.

“It’s not a sailing team and a shore team, it’s one team altogether, and we’re trying to get as many Kiwis as we can into that.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.