After racing around the world and overcoming challenge after challenge, 11th Hour Racing Team was confirmed as winners of The Ocean Race 2022-23 on Thursday morning (29 June).
While the team celebrated ashore and afloat, they would need to wait a few more hours before joining together to toast their incredible achievement.
But finally, just after 1730 local time in Genoa, the 11th Hour Racing Team IMOCA, Mālama, eased into the port and arrived at Ocean Live Park to a thunderous welcome and an incredible prize-giving moment.
Just hours earlier the World Sailing International Jury had awarded the team four points of redress, based on an average of their strong results in the race to date, following the incident just minutes into the start of the final leg on Thursday 15 June when the boat was involved in a collision with GUYOT environnement - Team Europe.
The crew were notified by satellite phone on Thursday morning as their boat made up the last miles towards the northeastern Italian port after repairs to its extensively damaged hull.
The final leaderboard sees 11th Hour Racing Team three points clear of Team Holcim-PRB in second place, with Team Malizia in third, Biotherm fourth place and GUYOT environnement - Team Europe in fifth.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic,” said skipper Charlie Enright. “This race takes everything out of you — emotionally, mentally and physically. I’m incredibly proud of our whole team who have worked tirelessly for three years to get to this point. There have been highs, some incredible highs, but also lows that have knocked us all, but they were all worth it to hear this news today.”
The team members already in Genoa celebrate confirmation of 11th Hour Ocean Racing’s victory in The Ocean Race 2022-23 | Credit: Sailing Energy/The Ocean Race
Speaking from onboard Mālama as the team delivered the boat to Genoa, Enright added: “When we launched our campaign in 2019, we never could have anticipated that it would finish in this way. Any sailor will tell you that they want to win races on the water and not in the jury room, and after winning three legs back to back we felt exceptionally strong and confident going into the final leg.
“We are pleased with the jury’s decision, although we wish we had had the chance to battle it out for this final leg on the water as Holcim-PRB have been exceptional competitors and pushed us all the way.
“To be the first US team to be lifting this trophy is an exceptional honour, and to be sharing the message and showcasing action and innovation for ocean health has made this a truly impactful, global campaign. It’s not the way I would have drawn this up, but the victory is sweet all the same.”
James O’Mahony with Lucy Hunt and Rebecca White, Kerry-based advisors to The Ocean Race and Damian Foxall with The Ocean Race trophy | Credit: Damian Foxall
Featured in Mālama’s crew at various stages were Cork sailor James O’Mahony and Kerry offshore veteran Damian Foxall, the latter of whom declared to Afloat.ie: “Munster just won The Ocean Race!”
In another achievements of note, 11th Hour Racing Team is the first US-flagged team to win The Ocean Race — and sailor Francesca Clapcich arrived in Genoa on Thursday afternoon as the first Italian sailor to win the race.
“It feels pretty surreal still - it hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Clapcich said. “It’s been a lifetime dream to firstly be part of the race, and now to win the race, and so it feels very special. The first time for an American team and the first time an Italian sailor has won the race — it means a lot to me. I’m Italian, and I live in the US — it’s both of my worlds colliding together.”
11th Hour Racing Team strategist Marcel van Triest gets a congratulatory handshake from Holcim-PRB skipper Benjamin Schwartz | Credit: Sailing Energy/The Ocean Race
Team navigator Simon Fisher added: “I’ve done this race six times now, and it has consumed almost 20 years of my life. It’s nice at this stage of my career that I can be involved with a campaign that’s trying to do something more than ‘just’ be competitive and has a positive impact on the sport, the wider community, environment, people, and planet. That’s really important to me.
“Winning is important, and it is what we all strive for, but personally for me, I hold a lot of value in winning the right way and doing things the right way. And so, to win The Ocean Race with 11th Hour Racing, a team like this, with such a great group of people and a positive mission, is really incredible.”
