Skipper Meilhat and co-skipper Lobato made the announcement in Lorient, France yesterday and revealed that they will be racing under the banner United by the Ocean.
The pair – who together finished fourth in The Ocean Race 2022-23 – said the new campaign is based around connection, openness and ocean health, and that they were hoping a good performance on the water would help them make a meaningful impact off the water.
“Since the very first sailors, the ocean has been a connector, linking people, places, and cultures together,” said Meilhat, winner of The Ocean Race Europe in 2025. “In many ways, the ocean is the original social network, making trade, the exchange of cultures and ideas, and openness to the world possible,” Meilhat said.
“Today we know the ocean is much more than this. It is our greatest climate regulator, absorbing the majority of the excess heat generated by human activity, and capturing a significant portion of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. A healthy ocean keeps us in balance and is something we can all unite around as it represents our shared future.”
Lobato said she was delighted to be working with Meilhat once again.
“It’s fantastic to be back with Paul and to be preparing for these events in The Ocean Race again,” she said. “Getting to the point where we can launch the campaign with confidence is a big milestone. Today we celebrate this but tomorrow we get back to work to get all the preparations in place. The best way to bring a project like this to the starting line is to get started and take on the challenges one at a time.”
For The Ocean Race Atlantic Meilhat and Lobato will be joined by French Vendée Globe veteran Benjamin Ferré – who raced to victory in The Ocean Race Europe 2025 aboard Biotherm – with further crew announcements to be made in the coming weeks.
“Benjamin will join us for The Ocean Race Atlantic,” Lobato confirmed. “Beyond that, we are still building the team. But we will be an international crew and our ambition is to sail 50/50 (two women, two men), not just in The Ocean Race Atlantic (as per race rules), but also in the around-the-world race in 2027.”
Following yesterday's launch, the United by the Ocean Team will commission the boat (previously Biotherm), and start sea trials over the rest of the month before leaving on a delivery trip across the Atlantic in August ahead of The Ocean Race Atlantic start from New York City on 1st September.
