Cowes (England) - May 3, 2024
Early this morning, the crew of Translated 9 arrived at Cowes (UK), successfully completing the Ocean Globe Race 2023, one of the most adventurous yacht races and the most human-centric ever. The Ocean Globe Race is a round-the-world sailing competition with limited use of technology, mostly comprising amateur crew members. The event was organized by Don McIntyre to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Whitbread Round the World Race.
Starting as underdogs, Translated 9 won the first two legs of the race, in both the main category (IRC) and also in Line Honours for the second leg, and was leading in the other two legs before being forced to abandon due to hull damage, which, by the race rules, resulted in retirement from the IRC ranking. However, the ingenuity and resilience of the crew allowed Translated 9 to return to the water to complete the race. Having restarted from Punta del Este for the final leg in one of the last positions, Translated 9 managed to move to the front within three weeks. The repair, however, did not hold up to Cowes, forcing the crew to stop in Madeira for further repairs. After securing the boat, the crew set off last week to finish the regatta.
From a sporting perspective, Translated 9's achievement is unique for Italy, which had never before won any leg of a round-the-world crewed sailing race.