"Everest of the Seas" comes to the Gulf Coast for the first time in race history
Florida tourism officials are promising the St. Pete-Clearwater area will roll out the red carpet for some indefatigable sailors and sailing enthusiasts alike next spring.
The Ocean Race – billed as the toughest team sporting event in the world and sometimes nicknamed the “Everest of the Seas” – will see competitors arrive in the destination next spring, providing the sailors with a two-week respite before heading off on the next leg of their grueling journey, a 4,500-nautical-mile transatlantic crossing to Cascais, Portugal.
The scale is genuinely epic, with the 2027 edition of the race leaving Alicante, Spain, in January and covering roughly six months with journeys to Auckland, Itajaí, Brazil; St. Pete-Clearwater; Cascais; and a finish on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, the first time in race history sailors have called there.
The sailors will be in St. Pete-Clearwater May 4-16 and the community will provide plenty of opportunity for those on hand for the event to receive some nautical tips.
“Visitors will have a lot of different opportunities to engage with The Ocean Race sailors and teams,” says Steve Grimes, chief marketing officer at Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. “The boats will be docked at the marina near University of South Florida St. Pete campus, where visitors will be able to view them and sign up for tours. In Ocean Live Park, there will be regular meet-and-greet and autograph sessions with the sailors, along with a host offering other activities for guests of all ages. We hope to see a lot of visitors from Florida, across the country and around the world joining us for this unique event, as it will be the only opportunity to see these boats and their crews in North America.”
It will mark the first time a Gulf Coast city has ever served as a stopover port in the 54 years the Ocean Race has been staged. Florida has welcomed the race five times before (Fort Lauderdale in the ’80s and ’90s, Miami in the 2000s and 2010s), but always on the Atlantic side. St. Pete-Clearwater is the only North American stop on this round-the-world race, a point of pride for a community that’s long had a passionate boating culture but hasn’t had a stage quite as large as this before.
The St. Pete-Clearwater stopover runs nearly two full weeks and those on hand can expect on-the-water racing, sailor meet-and-greets and IMOCA boat viewings, team celebrations, and the full run of Ocean Live Park programming before the fleet departs on the crossing to Cascais.
The IMOCA 60s boats used are 60-foot monohulls that foil (fly) above the water at speeds up to 40 mph, and are crewed by just four sailors – including at least one woman – and there’s an onboard reporter as well.
The centerpiece of St. Pete-Clearwater celebrations will be in Ocean Live Park, a free, open-to-the-public race village in South Straub Park in downtown St. Pete, right next to St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Programming will include team arrivals and dockside celebrations as boats come in; sailor meet-and-greets and on-stage “listen and learn” sessions; team arrival celebrations as each boat comes in; a dock-out party as the teams depart for the next leg of the race; a downtown St. Pete Street Party; Speed Runs and other spectator-friendly racing; official prize giving ceremonies; Fan Day activities; interactive exhibits on ocean health and sustainability; family-friendly and educational programming; live entertainment, food and beverage, and sponsor activations.
Spectators will be able to watch race arrivals and the fleet’s eventual departure both on the water and on big screens set up at Ocean Live Park.
“It’s a rare chance to talk face-to-face with sailors who, days earlier, were mid-ocean — living in a space the size of a small cargo van, eating freeze-dried food, with no beds, for weeks at a stretch,” says stopover director Rob Britts.
Tourism officials state that hosting the only North American stopover gives St. Pete-Clearwater an opportunity to showcase the destination, including its maritime heritage, and commitment to sustainability to a global audience.
The IMOCA 60s (the 60-foot foiling race boats will be by the Ocean Live Park race village, which is located in the heart of downtown next to the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
Grimes believes his destination makes for an ideal stopover point
“We believed St. Pete–Clearwater offered something truly unique for The Ocean Race: a passionate boating community, a spectacular waterfront setting, and a region that understands the connection between healthy oceans and a thriving economy,” he says. Those qualities made this a natural fit.”
Officials note St. Pete-Clearwater is surrounded by water on three sides, offering sailors a variety of experiences, from the calm waters of Tampa Bay to the more challenging emerald waters of the Gulf, and add that when that’s combined with a community that loves boating and the resources available it’s a sailor’s paradise.
“St. Pete–Clearwater immediately stood out as a destination that embodies so many of the values of The Ocean Race. It has a deep connection to the water, a vibrant sailing culture, strong sustainability initiatives, and a community eager to welcome the world,” adds Mirko Groeschner, The Ocean Race director of Host Cities and Marketing.
Beyond the sailing pedigree, the partnership with USF’s College of Marine Science — one of the top marine science programs in the U.S. — gave organizers a natural tie-in for the race’s ocean health mission, plus a working waterfront campus to berth the fleet.
Organizers say the Ocean Race also amounts to a floating science mission. The IMOCA boats carry instruments that measure ocean temperature, salinity, and microplastics as they sail through some of the most remote water on Earth. In the last edition, every single water sample collected — even in the most remote stretches of ocean — contained microplastics. That data feeds real climate and ocean-health research.
The event will be a free, family-friendly festival, rather than a ticketed sporting event. Most Ocean Live Park programming is free and only select premium hospitality experiences will carry a cost.
Tourism officials say St. Pete-Clearwater setting sells itself, with May in St. Pete-Clearwater featuring 35 miles of award-winning white-sand beach, warm Gulf water, a Michelin-rated dining scene, and a lively downtown arts district anchored by the Dalí Museum — all just steps from the race village.
