Ocean Globe Race pre-start festivities kick off next week

With the race yachts and competing crews now arriving daily, there are only five days until the Ocean Globe Race (OGR) pre-start festivities kick off in the Race Village at MDL’s Ocean Village Marina in Southampton on Tuesday (29 August 2023).

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Whitbread Round the World Race, the fully crewed retro Ocean Globe Race 2023 will be run in the spirit of the original 1973 race, starting and finishing at Ocean Village Marina, as so many editions of this epic sailing challenge did before.

The official opening of the Race Village, by the Lord Mayor of Southampton, takes place on Tuesday at 11am, with race crews, press and public all invited to cheer on as the ribbon is cut.

As the crews make their final preparations, visitors to the Race Village will be able to share in the adventure of ocean sailing as writer and broadcaster, Paul Heiney, entertains with his tales of sailing the Atlantic single-handed on Saturday 2 September at 1pm.

Using the same techniques as the competitors in the Ocean Globe Race, visitors can learn the art of navigating using just the sun, moon and stars to guide their way.

Nigel Rennie from First Class Sailing will be demonstrating how to use a sextant, the navigation tool used by sailors for centuries, in a series of Celestial Navigation workshops at 2pm on 2-4 September and 6 September.

As it approaches its bicentenary next year, volunteers from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (RNLI) Water Safety Education Team will be in the Race Village on 29 August, 2-3 September and 9-10 September, promoting its ‘Float to Live’ campaign, conducting lifejacket checks and highlighting all the different technologies available to call for help.

As Maiden prepares to take on the Ocean Globe Race, a team from The Maiden Factor Foundation will be in the Race Village to highlight the foundation’s mission and let people know how they can get involved.

Founded by Whitbread veteran Tracy Edwards, the charity works with, fundraises for, and supports communities to enable girls into education, helping them to reach their full potential and create better futures for all.

Race Village sponsor ePropulsion, is showcasing a selection of its innovative electric outboards, pod drives and battery solutions. Team members will also be on hand to discuss its sustainable solutions to make boating greener.

The team from Southampton’s SeaCity Museum will be hosting some free ‘pirate’ activities. Children will have the chance to design their own treasure map and pirate hat as well as handle some artefacts, including a real cannonball, on 31 August, 1, 3 and 9 September from 1pm-4pm.

Scientists from the National Oceanography Centre, the UK’s leading ocean science and research charity, will be at the Race Village on 7 September to introduce visitors to the fascinating microscopic world that lives in our ocean and discuss how tiny organisms like plankton play a big role in planetary health.

With the state of our seas such an important topic on everyone’s agenda, environmental charity Blue Marine Foundation will be in the Race Village on Thursday (31 August 2023) to raise awareness of the issues affecting our oceans.

From 1pm-1.30pm, Dr Luke Helmer will present the Blue Marine Foundation’s Solent Seascape Project, which is designed to bring people together to put nature back together.

Tackling the decline of young people participating in boating, sailing charity Ocean Youth Trust (South) helps to provide ‘adventure under sail’ to young people who have shown exceptional accomplishments and qualities that have inspired or supported others. A team from the charity will be in the Race Village on 2 September.

Winner of the Royal Society of Marine Artists’ New Generation Award, Gregory Smith is displaying and selling his oil paintings depicting images of seagoing craft, historical and contemporary, including the Ocean Globe Race competitors captured as they arrive and berth at Ocean Village.

There will also be screenings of sailing films and documentaries on the race village’s giant screen, including footage of previous Whitbread Round the World Races and Tracy Edwards’ movie Maiden (on 3 September at 3pm) — the story of a 24-year-old cook on charter boats becoming the skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989.

Visitors to the Race Village can take a tour of the pontoons and get up close to the international fleet of the 47-68ft yachts as they make their final preparations for the 27,000 nautical mile challenge ahead.

Tours will take place every day from 29 August between 1pm-5pm and can be booked via Eventbrite in advance or on the day. Visitors taking a tour will have the option to make a small charitable donation prior to the tour, which will go to support the Blue Marine Foundation, Ocean Youth Trust (South) and The Maiden Factor Foundation.

There will also be a selection of food and drink vendors and an on-site bar run by the team behind the Ketch Rigger and Gaff Rigger restaurants on the River Hamble.

Tickets to watch the start and say bon voyage to the 14 Ocean Globe Race crews onboard the historic steamship Shieldhall have now sold out, but visitors have the chance to win a pair of tickets at the Captains’ Dinner Charity auction, taking place on 1 September.

MDL will be live streaming the race start onto the jumbotron in the Race Village, capturing the yachts as they depart Ocean Village Marina, start to the sound of the cannon from the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, and race the first few miles towards the Needles.

More information on the Ocean Globe Race, including how to register for free Race Village tickets, is available on the MDL website.

Maiden image courtesy of The Maiden Factor/Kaia Bint Savage