The Vendée Globe is set to step up its contribution to ocean science in 2028. Speaking in New York on Wednesday, September 23, during the United Nations General Assembly, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a partnership between the race and OceanEye, the EU's ocean observation initiative. "All 40 boats in the 2028 race will carry scientific instruments," she said. Her backing will help the Vendée Globe deliver on a goal it set long ago: equipping the entire fleet with scientific instruments for the 2028 edition.
Racing solo around the world, non-stop and unassisted, the IMOCAs sail through some of the most remote and least-studied waters on Earth, the Southern Ocean chief among them. That gives scientists a rare opportunity to deploy instruments and gather data in areas that shipping lanes and research cruises seldom reach.
The programme already reached a record scale in 2024, when 25 of the 40 skippers set sail with scientific equipment on board, from Argo floats and drifting buoys to weather stations. In 2028, it will go a step further, with the race rules requiring every skipper to carry at least one scientific instrument. OceanEye's support will help drive this expansion, building on the partnership the Vendée Globe has maintained with UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission since 2023.
