The IMOCA GLOBE SERIES are the result of the joint desire of skippers and race organizers to create a stronger connection between the various events. The Championship consists of the most prestigious races, whether solo, double-handed, or crewed.
For the first time, the two historic round-the-world races are united in a single program. Indeed, The Ocean Race, a crewed event, has joined the IMOCA GLOBE SERIES, which now includes 18 races over four years and visits 13 countries.
In 2021, the IMOCA GLOBE SERIES also introduced the Overall Leader distinction, highlighting the skipper(s) leading the overall standings after each race. Finally, at the end of the last race of the season, the winner(s) of the year are awarded the title of IMOCA Champion(s). Thus, after the Transat Jacques Vabre and following a brilliant season sailed in pairs, Charlie Dalin and Paul Meilhat were both crowned IMOCA Champions 2021.
The year 2022 was an intense season of solo sailing. After an opening race in May with the Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race, the skippers tackled the North Atlantic with the Vendée Arctique. The IMOCA boats sailed in Icelandic waters for the first time—what an adventure! The second half of the season was highly competitive, with the Défi Azimut followed by the famous Route du Rhum. After a memorable battle between Saint-Malo and Guadeloupe, Thomas Ruyant claimed his first major solo victory. Winning three out of the four races of the season, Charlie Dalin was crowned IMOCA Champion 2022.
The following year, the first edition of The Ocean Race in IMOCA began with high-level competition. Five teams set off from Alicante, kicking off a series of stages marked by intense battles. By the end of this epic race, the American team 11th Hour Racing triumphed in Genoa, emerging as the overall winner. Meanwhile, the double-handed season kicked off in France with the Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race in May, followed by the Rolex Fastnet Race in July. Competitors then faced off at the Défi Azimut before regrouping for the Transat Jacques Vabre in November. The 2023 season concluded with the Retour à la Base, a solo race from Martinique to Lorient, marking the end of the year. After this demanding calendar, Sam Goodchild emerged as the overall winner, having performed brilliantly in all the events on the circuit.
