Racing Sailors to Double as Ocean Scientists in European Waters

Reuters

12:00 JST, July 4, 2025

Every yacht in this summer’s Ocean Race Europe will double as a floating laboratory, gathering vital ocean data as crews battle their way between seven iconic European ports, organizers say.

The fleet will gather measurements on water temperature, salinity, oxygen, CO2 levels, microplastics and environmental DNA during the offshore competition from Aug. 10 to Sept. 20.

Some teams will deploy drifter buoys designed to transmit meteorological information for years afterward.

“We know conditions in our ocean are changing rapidly but scientists need more data to better understand what is happening, the pace of change and how this impacts ocean health,” said Lucy Hunt, Ocean Impact Director of The Ocean Race and a marine biologist.

“Due to the vastness of the ocean, reliable data is very sparse, and there are many areas that are undersampled.”

The race begins in Kiel, Germany and visits Portsmouth (England), Porto (Portugal), Cartagena (Spain), Nice (France), Genoa (Italy), and Montenegro’s Boka Bay.

Organizers report that the 2023 around-the-world race generated more than 4 million data points for researchers.