Team Paprec Arkéa Confirm Their Participation in The Ocean Race Europe 2025
by The Ocean Race 24 Sep 03:47 PDT
August – September 2025
Aerial view of Paprec Arkéa © Eloi Stichelbaut – polaRYSE / Paprec Arkéa
Team Paprec Arkéa will participate in The Ocean Race Europe, set to begin in August 2025. The team, commanded by skipper Yoann Richomme, has announced its transition to a ‘fully-crewed’ format following the Vendée Globe this winter.
Richomme has a wealth of experience with The Ocean Race, having led his team to victory in the inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Europe in 2021, and competing on two legs of the global race in 2023.
He boasts an impressive record in French offshore racing, including back-to-back wins in the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec (2016, 2019) and the Route du Rhum (2018, 2022), as well as a win in the 2024 CIC Transat among his key accomplishments.
“I’m eager to race this vessel with a full crew next year in The Ocean Race Europe, which I successfully won in 2021 with the Mirpuri Foundation team,” Richomme stated. “It promises to be an exciting race around Europe, beginning in the north and sailing down the Atlantic coastline into the Mediterranean.
“After the Vendée Globe, assembling a team for The Ocean Race Europe will be a rewarding challenge. I’ll need to find the right crew for a boat designed for solo sailing, making it an exciting endeavor. I am truly looking forward to this experience with a full crew.
“The IMOCA Class is currently thriving, featuring foiling 60s that skim across the water, making for intense racing. It’s fantastic to have a robust circuit now that includes both solo and fully-crewed events like The Ocean Race and The Ocean Race Europe, allowing us to blend both sailing formats.”
The Ocean Race Europe is set to kick off on 10 August in Kiel, Germany, with stops in Portsmouth, UK, and then into the Mediterranean, visiting Cartagena, Spain, and Genoa, Italy, before concluding in Boka Bay, Montenegro, in mid-September.
On land, The Ocean Race Europe will partner with the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters, aiming to foster a new, respectful relationship between humanity and the ocean. Through this initiative, teams, sailors, host cities, and race partners will highlight the urgency of enhancing ocean literacy and the necessity of aligning research, policy, education, and advocacy efforts for the ocean’s well-being.
“As sailors, we have a profound commitment to the sea and our planet, which aligns with the core values we share with our team partners,” Richomme remarked.
Currently, Team Paprec Arkéa is concentrating on their preparation for the upcoming solo Vendée Globe in November, with Richomme anticipated to be among the frontrunners after his recent victory in a transatlantic race.
Team Paprec Arkéa is backed by two principal partners:
Founded and managed by the Petithuguenin family, Paprec Group is renowned as France’s leading recycling enterprise and a significant player in waste management and renewable energy production. With five participations in the Vendée Globe, Paprec Group stands as a prominent figure in sailing sponsorship.
The Crédit Mutuel Arkéa cooperative group encompasses the Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne and Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest federations, along with around forty specialized subsidiaries (Fortuneo, Suravenir…). Crédit Mutuel Arkéa’s involvement in sailing dates back two decades, representing shared values of self-improvement and striving for excellence, while providing sustained support for initiatives that resonate with these principles.
