| Age | 51 (8/20/73) |
|---|---|
| Top performance | 6 times Ironman |
| Joined Imoca on | 2022 |
| Team | SZABI RACING |
| Base | Les Sables d'Olonne (FRANCE) |
Determined and persistent, Hungarian sailor Szabolcs Weöres decided at the age of 49 to race around the World single handed on the Vendée Globe 2024 following the footsteps of Nándor Fa, the first non-French skipper to complete the race in 1992-93.
Although he is a rookie when it comes to solo racing, he is certainly not new to sailing. Coming from a family of sailors, he started his career in Optimist, Cadet, 420, FD and Soling, then joined South Africa’s legendary Team Shosholoza for the 32nd America’s Cup as a rigger.
His philosophy is to take everything step by step, manage expectations and systematically build up his solo sailing career. He now has the boat, Ari Huusela’s Stark built by Owen Clarke (originally for Dee Caffari), a small, but professional support team and enough budget for the moment.
| Name | NEW EUROPE |
|---|---|
| Sail number | HUN 23 |
| Architect | Owen Clarke Design |
| Construction | 2007, Hakes Marine, Wellington (Nouvelle-Zélande) |
| Former names | AVIVA, STARK, SZABI RACING |
| Length | 18,28 m |
| Beam | 5,57 m |
| Draught | 4,5 m |
| Weight | 8,5 tonnes |
| Mast height | 29 m |
| Mast type | Mât Classique |
| Foils | No |
| Sail area max. | |
| Upwind | 270 m2 |
| Downwind | 580 m2 |
Because of irreparable damage to the D2 shroud on his IMOCA, New Europe, Hungarian skipper Szabolcs Weöres has made the difficult decision to retire from Vendée Globe 2024-25 The shroud, a key component of the rigging th…
•••The Vendée Globe is not only an exceptional human and sporting adventure. Behind each race also lies a major scientific contribution, often unknown to the general public.
•••The 2024-’25 Vendée Globe solo round-the-world race, which starts from Les Sables d’Olonne on the French Biscay coast on November 10th, will see the largest contingent of non-French entrants since the race was founded in…
•••
