Conrad Colman heads out of New York on 1 September as skipper of MSIG Europe in the inaugural Ocean Race Atlantic, a new crewed IMOCA transatlantic race finishing in Lorient. Alongside him will be three young New Zealand sailors: Megan Thomson, Anna Merchant, and Aaron Hume-Merry.
The race brings six IMOCAs together over roughly a week at sea, with arrivals in Lorient expected between 8 and 10 September. This first edition requires each team to field two women and two men, a gender-balance requirement new to the IMOCA class. An On Board Reporter will also sail aboard each boat to document the racing.
For Colman, the event is a meaningful step forward for Aotearoa Ocean Racing, his project to rebuild New Zealand's connection to IMOCA offshore sailing. "I'm really excited to sail with these motivated Kiwis and pass on some of my offshore experience," he said. "I know it'll be tough racing against a fleet made up entirely of the latest generation foiling boats, but we'll give everything we have while keeping that competitive spirit we share on board. It's a fantastic learning opportunity and an important step in building the future of our project."
MSIG Europe is a daggerboard IMOCA lining up against a full fleet of newer foiling designs. The focus is on gaining experience rather than outright results.
Colman is one of the more experienced IMOCA sailors in the Southern Hemisphere, having completed two Vendée Globes. He is recognised as the first skipper to finish that race without fossil fuels, in 2016, and repeated that achievement in the 2024 edition despite losing his mast just a few hundred miles from the finish.
He met Merchant and Hume-Merry during a visit to New Zealand last February, connecting through the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, a partner in the Aotearoa Ocean Racing project. Thomson, named 2025 New Zealand Sailor of the Year, rounds out the crew. All three carry solid offshore racing credentials, but IMOCA sailing at this level is new territory for each of them.
Thomson is best known in match racing circles, having become the first female helm to reach the podium at the Open Match Racing World Championship. "The opportunity to step into offshore racing, learn alongside an experienced team, and help pave the way toward The Ocean Race motivated me enormously," she said.
Merchant brings experience across match racing, foiling, and offshore campaigns. Hume-Merry is a national champion and World Championship representative with more than a decade across Olympic classes, foiling craft, and offshore racing.
Early training has gone well, with a strong working relationship and genuine enthusiasm in boat preparation already evident across the crew.
Photographer and videographer Georgia Schofield sails as official On Board Reporter aboard MSIG Europe. She has been working with Colman since 2023 and will document the race using the onboard media setup provided by the organisation.
