MADRID, 5 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The city of Cartagena, in the Region of Murcia, will host the penultimate stopover in the ‘The Ocean Race Europe 2025’ regatta, before its finale in Genoa (Italy) and following some previous stops yet to be confirmed, in a European competition that will celebrate its second edition and that will depart on August 10, 2025 from Kiel (Germany).
At the end of next summer, Cartagena will become the Spanish stopover for The Ocean Race Europe 2025, taking over from Alicante, which was a stopover in the previous edition, and will host the IMOCA fleet of ocean sailing yachts, with land-based activities focused on sustainability and ocean health.
“Located in the Region of Murcia, in the southeast of Spain, Cartagena is a port city open to the Mediterranean Sea through a wide bay. Its entrance is guarded by a series of castles and coastal batteries built in the 18th and 19th centuries,” the organization said.
The Port of Cartagena is the fourth largest Spanish port in terms of volume of goods, a leader in imports and foreign trade, and is in the top 10 of the ports in terms of cruise traffic in the Spanish port system. It is considered one of the most sustainable ports in the Mediterranean, both for the quality of its waters, for its port-city integration model, and for being a unique port for its marine and terrestrial species.
This second edition of The Ocean Race Europe – after the one held in 2021 – will be held under the motto ‘Connecting Europe’, on a route that will begin on August 10, 2025 from Kiel (Germany) in the Baltic Sea, passing through the North Sea and the English Channel, to the Atlantic Ocean before ending in the Mediterranean, in Genoa, with up to five ports of call.
“For Cartagena, it is a great opportunity to be the only stopover in Spain for a major international event such as The Ocean Race Europe, which unites sport and the sea and will help to project the image of the city as a major tourist capital in the Mediterranean,” said the Mayor of Cartagena, Noelia Arroyo.
“The sea brought the Carthaginians to these shores, who founded the city, the Romans who built our great monuments, and it was the sea that turned us into a naval base protected by one of the largest defensive complexes in the Mediterranean. This is the setting that will host the most prestigious sports fleet in the world,” added the mayor.
For his part, the president of the Region of Murcia, Fernando López Miras, said that it is a “pride” to be part of The Ocean Race Europe in 2025. “It is a clear example of the growing importance of this destination both for tourism and for the holding of sporting competitions. We will be the scene of a great spectacle that will also put the Region of Murcia back on top and will also serve to position Cartagena as an authentic tourist capital, with a wide range of cultural, historical and, of course, sporting offerings,” he commented.
Phil Lawrence, Director of The Ocean Race, said the relationship with Cartagena is centred on the shared interest in promoting sailing among young people and protecting the sea through ocean knowledge. “During The Ocean Race Europe, we will work with Cartagena to raise awareness of the crucial role the sea plays in the health of the planet through our educational programme. We will work in collaboration with schools in the region to bring the intensity and passion of sailing to youth and fans and use the power of sport to create new ambassadors for marine protection,” he said.
On the race course, the IMOCA fleet, expected to number between eight and 12 boats, will offer fans unprecedented action. The latest generation of foiling boats (wings that allow boats to fly) feature advances in design and engineering to increase speed when boats are suspended in the water, and the sailors taking part in the race are the best in the world and staunch advocates for the health of the sea.
With this announcement, Cartagena becomes the third Spanish city to partner with The Ocean Race for this next cycle. Barcelona will host the arrival of The Ocean Race Atlantic in 2026 and Alicante (Valencian Community), which has been the Departure Port and Global Headquarters of the round the world race since 2008, will be the host city for the departure of the next round the world race in 2027.