· 11th Hour Racing Team
First to sign up and with way more current sea miles under the keel than any of the other teams, 11th Hour Racing Team skippered by Charlie Enright has been the favourite for some time. Designed specifically for this race and with plenty of runway to refine and develop the boat including four transatlantic crossings, this is the best prepared team. The crew line up is impressive too.
· Team Malizia
Skippered by Boris Herrmann, who finished 5th in the 2020 Vendée Globe on his first attempt, his team launched their brand new, radical 60 with its distinctive central accommodation area last July.
The boat was designed by VPLP to not only compete in the Ocean Race but also for Herrmann’s 2024 Vendée Globe campaign. Little is known about the true potential of this boat as Herrmann was forced to nurse the boat across the Atlantic after a problem with the mountings for one of the daggerboards.
· Biotherm Racing
Another brand new boat is Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm Racing, which launched in August 2022. Having co-skippered with Charlie Dalin, Sam Davies and others, Meilhat is fully up to speed with the latest generations of IMOCA 60.
While Meilhat and his crew, which includes Paralympic champion and IMOCA sailor Damien Seguin, have had little time to refine the new Biotherm, they will have gained a great deal of confidence in the boat following Meilhat’s 6th in the Route du Rhum.
· Team Holcim – PRB
Designed by Guillaume Verdier for an Ocean Race team that fizzled out, Kevin Escoffier’s Holcim PRB is a modified version of the original design that Escoffier will also solo race in the Vendée Globe. Finishing 4th in the Route du Rhum has not only validated the boat’s potential in a very competitive fleet, but has underlined Escoffier’s credentials as a skipper.
