11th Hour Racing Team one month to go

With exactly one month to go, the five IMOCA teams taking part in The Ocean Race 2022-23 have congregated in Europe, dotted around the Spanish coastline ahead of the Alicante assembly deadline of January 2, 2023.

After several weeks of training in Cascais, the sailing team delivered Mālama to Spain, where she is now out of the water, in beautiful Valencian sunshine, as she undergoes the final refit ahead of the race start on January 15, 2023.

Although the sailors are the ones racing the boat come January, this next period of work lies on the shoulders of the shore team and support crew. The baton of pressure is relayed, and the obsession of leaving no stone unturned, and no job list unfinished, is very real and felt by all.

"There is always something to look out for," explains shore crew member Fin Clarke. "You can be given a simple job such as cleaning or emptying the boat, but the reality is, at that point in time, you are the closest person to the hidden, sometimes unchecked parts of the boat, deep in the hull, and there is always something to be found. No matter how long the job list, it can always be longer."

After a short visit home to spend the last time with friends and family for a while, the sailing team will congregate once again in Europe for the short delivery to Alicante on December 30, 2022.

The Journey

It's hard to believe that the final countdown is on for the next edition of The Ocean Race. It has been three years since the launch of 11th Hour Racing Team, and all eyes are now on one thing: The Ocean Race start line in Alicante, Spain on January 15, 2023.

There have been so many highs, lows, hurdles, and successes in the build-up to this race that we thought we would revisit a few. Click here for a recap of the journey of our team to date.

We Bet you Didn't Know

 Two extraordinary stories about two extraordinary people - meet Francesca Clapcich and Jack Bouttell. The first articles in a seriesof deep-dive stories about the characters that make up 11th Hour Racing Team. Who are they? How did they get here? Is your perception correct? Let's find out!

Stoic, Observant and Reserved: Meet Jack Bouttell

Jack is a silent risk-taker. From couch-surfing to winning The Ocean Race, this half-Aussie, half-Brit has shown that with ambition and grit, anything is possible.

The Power of Imagination: Meet Francesca Clapcich

From terrifying her mother with bold statements to becoming a high-flying Olympian – Francesca Clapcich's story comes with one message: if you can imagine it, you can do it.