The Ocean Race 2022-23: How do you win? Points, scoring system explained for sailing extravaganza

Five months. 32,000 nautical miles. The 2022-23 Ocean Race promises to be a spectacular affair, with sailors returning to the seas to tackle one of the toughest challenges in sport for the first time since 2018.

This season’s race will see competitors do battle in either the IMOCA 60 class or the VO65 class boat as the crews navigate the trip out of Europe, down to the southern tip of Africa, across to and around the Americas and back to the finish in Italy.

So where else are we travelling to in the newest edition? And how do you actually win? Let’s take a closer look…

What’s the route for the Ocean Race?

The Ocean Race 2022-23 will visit nine cities over a six-month period, starting from Alicante, Spain, on January 15, 2023.

The race will finish in Genova, Italy.

Ocean Race route:

• Leg 1: Alicante, Spain to Cabo Verde, leg start on January 15, 1,900 nautical miles
• Leg 2: Cabo Verde to Cape Town, South Africa leg start on January 25, 4,600 nautical miles
• Leg 3: Cape Town to Itajai, Brazil, leg start on February 26, 12,750 nautical miles
• Leg 4: Itajai to Newport, Rhode Island, leg start on April 23, 5,500 nautical miles
• Leg 5: Newport to Aarhus, Denmark, leg start on May 21, 3,500 nautical miles
• Leg 6: Aarhus to The Hague, Netherlands, leg start on June 8, 800 nautical miles
• Leg 7: The Hague to Genova, Italy, leg start on June 15, 2,200 nautical miles

How do you win the Ocean Race?

Simple: score more points than your rivals!

Points are awarded for each leg, with the winning team handed an equal number of points to the number of entrants. So if there are five teams racing – as they currently are in the IMOCA 60 class – then the winners will get five points, second place will get four points, third place will get three points, and so on. Teams that fail to finish a leg will score no points.

Double points are up for grabs on Leg 3 (Cape Town to Itajai) – the longest in the race’s history at 12,750 nautical miles – and Leg 5 (Newport to Aarhus).

The arduous Leg 3 will see the points split between the finishing positions and the order at which the teams pass the longitude of 143 degrees east. Leg 5 will see double points awarded at the finish in Aarhus, Denmark.

The overall winners of the Ocean Race 2022-23 will be the team with the most points across the seven legs.

How to follow the Ocean Race tracker