Conrad Colman is among the fleet expected to reach Lorient La Base around 9 September, when the French port opens five days of celebration marking the finish of The Ocean Race Atlantic, the world's first IMOCA race sailed with fully mixed crews.
Colman, sailing for MSIG Europe, is one of six skippers departing New York on 1 September for the transatlantic sprint. He is one of two sailors the organisers describe as adopted sons of Lorient, alongside French sailor Paul Meilhat. Each IMOCA carries two women and two men plus an On Board Reporter, with crews representing a minimum of two nationalities. Thirty sailors and reporters from more than ten nationalities make up the fleet.
The other skippers include Boris Herrmann on Team Malizia, joined by Justine Mettraux and Cole Brauer; Kojiro Shiraishi on DMG MORI with Samantha Davies and Nicolas Lunven; Oliver Heer paired with Marie Riou; and Francesca Clapcich leading Team Francesca Clapcich powered by 11th Hour Racing, a team that has recently relocated to Lorient.
New York provides its own spectacle before the crossing begins. The fleet will be on show at Brooklyn Bridge Marina from 26 August, with speed runs in Manhattan on 27 and 28 August before a parade past the Statue of Liberty marks the offshore start on 1 September.
Lorient has hosted The Ocean Race twice before, in 2012 and 2015, and served as the starting city for the first edition of The Ocean Race Europe in 2021. Offshore racing is central to the city's identity, supporting more than 900 specialised jobs and generating over €44 million in economic impact each year.
The Ocean Live Park race village opens free to the public at midday on 9 September and runs through to 13 September. Designed with support from 11th Hour Racing and Lorient Agglomération, it combines sport, innovation, environmental awareness, and entertainment. Highlights include a Race Cockpit Experience with a full-scale IMOCA cockpit replica, team meet-and-greets, workshops, and introductory dinghy sailing from the Cité de la Voile Éric Tabarly. A joint educational programme from The Ocean Race and the Cité de la Voile will bring schoolchildren and youth groups through the village from 9 to 11 September.
After the finish, teams return to the water for speed runs in the Courreaux de Groix on 11 and 12 September. The official prize-giving ceremony is on the main stage at 6.30pm on 11 September.
Three consecutive evenings of free concerts complete the programme. Brooklyn rock band TVOD opens on 10 September, the Kenata collective brings a festive take on classic rock and pop on 11 September, and a hip-hop night on 12 September features Adès The Planet followed by NeS. Each concert rolls into a DJ set.
The week closes on 13 September with a Fan Day from 10am to 4pm, where race crews invite local sports clubs to join a day centred on inclusion, gender mixing, and teamwork, with introductory sessions, demonstrations, and challenges bringing elite athletes and the public together.
