IMOCA – “The Swiss Offshore Team project is launched”.
Thirty young sailor profiles, including five women, are taking part in this summer’s crew selection for The Ocean Race Europe. IMOCA Hublot becomes Amaala. The Geneva-based skipper has found a new title partner who guarantees participation in this first race, with the possible extension to The Ocean Race Monde in 2027.
How are you, Alan?
Pretty tired. We had a rather complicated VendĂ©e Globe return, as we didn’t know what was going to happen to our project.
And how will the Hublot project evolve?
Due to a lack of long-term visibility, I had to lay off the entire team at the end of May… and then rehire everyone the following week. Indeed, in June, we signed a very nice partner who will accompany us for The Ocean Race Europe, a crewed ocean race around Europe which will take place from August 10 to September 21. The team is therefore financed until the end of the year.
It’s a partnership that’s getting off to a late start. Who are we talking about?
My boat will take the name of Amaala, a destination in Saudi Arabia focused on responsible high-end tourism, which will serve as the final stage of The Ocean Race Monde, in 2027, supported by real estate developer Red Sea Global. Amaala wants to gain visibility ahead of the round-the-world race. For them, the human aspect, the crew, is very important. They were interested in several of our projects, and ours was chosen. It’s a city with an interesting approach, with environmentally-friendly structures on the banks of the Red Sea and an institute dedicated to coral protection and regeneration. I’m going to visit it as soon as possible to get a feel for the project. This is an initial collaboration, a first test to decide whether the partnership will last. The idea is to get the ball rolling for The Ocean Race Monde in 2027…
And what happens to partner Hublot?
Hublot remains with us as sponsor and official timekeeper for The Ocean Race Europe. The contract was due to run until the end of August, but we have decided to extend it for this event, which was not on the programme when we began our adventure together. So there will still be Hublot markings on the boat, and Helly Hansen continues to support us as an equipment supplier. I also benefit from the continued support of several companies in our partner club. We’ve completely redone the decoration and my team is now preparing the boat for the race. We’ve had a major overhaul, bought back a sail and repaired everything that needed repairing.
And who will be the crew?
Before the VendĂ©e Globe, we launched the Swiss Offshore Team project as a threesome, with Ălodie-Jane Mettraux and Simon Koster. Since then, Ălodie has signed up for a season on a 50-foot multihull (Ocean Fifty). She no longer has as much time to sail, but we’re in the process of finalizing the schedule. In any case, she remains at the heart of the project, which, I would remind you, is intended to be a long-term one. Simon has other commitments on hold, but is expected to sail half of the race. On The Ocean Race Europe, four of us will be sailing, with at least one woman on board. For the rest of the crew, we’re sticking to a principle of selecting Swiss talent to introduce to the open sea. We opened the application process at the beginning of June and received almost 30 profiles, over 20% of which were women. I think it’s great, and we’ve achieved our first objective, which is to see that the project is attracting interest from sailors. We’re going to carry out two selection phases, one in Geneva and one in Lorient, in order to form the crew and train throughout July before heading for Kiel and the start of The Ocean Race.
So much for this summer. And what is your determination for the Vendée Globe 2028?
I don’t know yet whether I’d like to do a fourth VendĂ©e Globe. I’m concentrating on this crewed project and on passing on my experience to others. Things will probably take shape according to the Ocean Race calendar, and the opportunities that present themselves, because I’m not going back around the world if it’s only to pick up the buoys with a boat that’s too old. The deadline to start building a new boat is relatively close. There aren’t many good used boats left on the market. So there are a lot of unknowns at the moment. If we are financed, it will also be difficult to do The Ocean Race Monde with my current boat and then go straight on to the VendĂ©e with another boat. We’re going to have to make some choices. After three loops in a row, I can also skip a VendĂ©e Globe if the minimum conditions for participation are not met.
fulfilled. What I need now is for all the planets to align.
OLIVER HEER
“I want to take part in the VendĂ©e Globe 2028 with a competitive boat.”
How does the 2025 season look for you? I’m not planning to take part in any IMOCA races this year. Instead, I’m concentrating on launching a campaign for the years 2026 to 2029.
What are your long-term plans? My goal is to take part in The Ocean Race 2027 and the VendĂ©e Globe 2028 with a competitive boat. To achieve this, I’ll need to find solid financial backing and good partners.
Would you like to buy a new boat? Yes, my intention is to buy a competitive foiling boat for the next campaign.
