Team Francesca Clapcich powered by 11th Hour Racing has been named overall winner of the Racing for the Ocean Teams Challenge, the sustainability contest run alongside the inaugural Ocean Race Atlantic. United by the Ocean took the race itself on Thursday, but the Awards Night in Lorient over the weekend told a different story about who did the most for the ocean along the way.
Six IMOCA teams were measured against 30 sustainability criteria covering everything from carbon footprint and climate impact to science communication, sustainable boat building and advocacy. The scorecard was built in collaboration with IMOCA and backed by 11th Hour Racing, the event's Impact Partner.
Team Francesca Clapcich stood out for cutting its carbon footprint, pushing ocean science communication, and getting properly involved in The Ocean Race Learning programme. The team also ran a 'Believe, Belong, Achieve' initiative supporting female leadership and mentorship through The Magenta Project, and hosted a virtual sailor visit live from the mid-Atlantic that reached young minds around the world.
Sixty-five percent of the crew is female, one of the highest proportions in the fleet.
Skipper Francesca Clapcich didn't sound like someone chasing trophies for their own sake. "Of course it's part of our work that we're doing! So the purpose is to try and bring more access and equity and inclusion into the sport; it's really something close to my heart and it's a great honour and privilege to be able to win a prize for it, but that's what we're doing every day, we don't need prizes, we just need to keep changing the status quo of the industry."
Other awards were spread around the fleet. United by the Ocean picked up Lowest Carbon Footprint, with skipper Paul Meilhat crediting a simple approach. "I think where we've made gains is that we've had a lot of people travelling by boat, and very few people have flown to the United States. And we've kept our stay as short as possible and streamlined our logistics as much as possible."
Vittoria Ripa di Meana of the same team won Best Effort for an Individual Team Member. "It's important to highlight the initiatives we're trying to implement, to inspire others to do the same," she said. "I'm happy to know that when you believe in a more sustainable lifestyle, people around you notice your choices."
The Access and Equity award was shared between Team Malizia and Team Francesca Clapcich, while MSIG Europe and Embrace the Challenge jointly took out Best Ocean Science Communications and Outreach. MSIG Europe's skipper, Conrad Colman, put it plainly: "We have the best playground there is, so naturally we must protect it."
Each winner received a trophy crafted from recycled ocean plastic, plus €1,000 for their chosen Impact Partner project.
Lucy Hunt, Ocean Impact Director at The Ocean Race, said the competitive spirit on the water carried straight through into this side of the event. "Team Francesca Clapcich stood out for the ambition and commitment they have shown throughout the Challenge, they were a very competitive team both on and off the water," she said. "Their example shows what is possible when teams use their platform to drive meaningful change and make a difference both on and off the water."
The Racing for the Ocean Teams Challenge began last year at The Ocean Race Europe, where Holcim PRB took the inaugural prize. This year's edition added new categories to reflect the strides being made across the IMOCA fleet towards a more sustainable future.
The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026 was historic in its own right, too: the first point-to-point race in the event's 50-year history, and the first to mandate a 50-50 gender-balanced crew across the fleet. On the water, United by the Ocean crossed the line first. But by the measure that mattered most on this particular night, Team Francesca Clapcich were the ones who won the race that counts long after the sails come down.
