A guide to the In-Port Race Series
Although The Ocean Race has always been very much about the thrill and skill of crossing open oceans, the In-Port Race Series has long been a popular and an integral part of the race’s DNA.
The 2022-23 edition features in-port races at seven of the course’s stopover cities around the world where local fans can get up close and personal to the teams as they battle it out around a short inshore course.
Although in-port races do not count towards a team’s overall points score they do play an important part in the overall rankings as the In-Port Race Series standings are used to break any points ties that occur during the race around the world.
That means that, should there be a tie on points for the overall lead when the teams reach Genova, Italy next May after completing a lap of the world, the winner of the The Ocean Race 2022 would be decided on the results of the final in-port race on July 1.
Typically staged close enough to shore that fans in the stopover city can enjoy the action from dry land, in-port races are often fast and furious affairs that test the sailors’ boat handling capabilities to the max.
Winning the start is often the key to victory and the fight for the best starting position in the final five minutes before the starter’s gun can be fascinating to watch.
Under The Ocean Race rules a team’s crewmembers taking part in an in-port race must have either sailed the previous offshore leg or be scheduled to race the upcoming one.
If the weather conditions allow, each team carries three guests on board during in-port races. Although for safety reasons they are not allowed to participate in racing the boats, these lucky people get as close to the heart of the action as it is possible to be, and one supremely fortunate individual could be selected by the skipper to take the helm for the final leg of the course.
A high points scoring system is used for the In-Port Race Series with the winners of an in-port race being awarded points equal to the number of entries in their fleet. Second place receives points equivalent to the total number of entries in that fleet minus one – and so on down the rankings.
If weather conditions or space restrictions at a stopover mean an in-port race has to be sailed in flights of two or three boats at a time the scores are combined and count as one race in the in-port series standings. If for any reason an in-port race cannot be sailed the standings at the end of the inshore section of the subsequent leg start will count towards the In-Port Race Series points tally.
The overall In-Port Race Series winner is the team with the most points. Any ties are decided in favour of the team that finished higher in the last race.
The first in-port race will take place in Alicante, Spain on January 8, 2023 – seven days ahead of the start of Leg 1 from Alicante to Mindelo, Cabo Verde – with subsequent races staged in Cape Town, South Africa; Itajaí, Brazil; Newport, Rhode Island, United States; Aarhus, Denmark; The Hague in the Netherlands; and Genova, Italy.
An in-port race series for teams competing in the VO65 Sprint (over Leg 1, Leg 6, and Leg 7) will be held in: Alicante, Spain; Aarhus, Denmark; and Genova, Italy.
2022-23 In-Port Race Series Schedule
Alicante, Spain – January 8
Cape Town, South Africa – February 24
Itajaí, Brazil – April 21
Newport, Rhode Island, United States – May 20
Aarhus, Denmark – June 4
The Hague, Netherlands – 13/14 June
Genova, Italy – July 1