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Oliver Heer Ocean Racing has announced the official launch of its Vendée Globe 2028 campaign. A major turning point for the Swiss sailor, one year after his first non-stop solo round-the-world race, completed in February 2025 in 99 days. This time, the team is making no secret of its ambition: to transform the experience of the first Vendée Globe into a structured, competitive project designed to play at the front of the IMOCA class.
From the first Vendée Globe to "performance mode
The team's communication is clear: this new campaign is not a simple renewal. It marks a change of dimension. The first program enabled Oliver Heer to gain considerable experience in ocean sailing's most demanding race. The second is now aimed at pure progression, with an increase in sporting and technical power.
" Crossing the finish line of my first Vendée Globe wasn't the end of the story, it was the beginning "Oliver Heer sums up. " I was convinced that I wanted the second campaign to be more ambitious, more successful and faster. "
Justine Mettraux's ex foiler
One of the most visible markers of this new phase is the choice of boat. Oliver Heer has acquired an IMOCA launched in 2017, previously sailed by Justine Mettraux (TeamWork-Team Snef). A recognized and proven platform, which finished 8th in the Vendée Globe 2024, and which will enable the Swiss skipper to rely on an already high-performance technical base.
The boat is currently undergoing a complete refit in Lorient, in conjunction with Beyou Racing. A handover and training phase is then planned in France, before the project is transferred to the UK.
A British base for a growing team
Another strategic development is the creation of a UK base in Gosport. A choice consistent with the skipper's career, who spent more than a decade overseas at the start of his career. The team emphasizes this new location as a pillar of the campaign: structuring the project, ramping up the workforce and performance-oriented organization.
With a hydrofoil boat, a growing team and an operational base, Oliver Heer Ocean Racing is laying the foundations for a more professional campaign, in an IMOCA calendar that has become extremely dense and competitive.
Portfolio sponsorship rather than title sponsorship
On the economic front, the team is making a strong decision to move away from the classic single title partner model to adopt a "portfolio" approach to sponsorship. Several founding partners are announced at launch, and the team indicates that other opportunities remain open to join the campaign towards 2028.
Two Swiss names stand out in this first wave: Bossard and Burgerstein Vitamine.
Bossard joins the program as a technical partner. "We will be working closely with Oliver and his team to identify and integrate the most suitable fasteners and access solutions for the entire boat," explains Florian Heuter, Bossard Germany Managing Director and Vice President Products and Engineering.
Burgerstein Vitamine continues its commitment to the skipper. "We're delighted to continue our partnership and build on Tut gut's success in the previous Vendée Globe," says Tanja Zimmerman, CEO of Burgerstein Vitamine.
First sporting event: The Ocean Race Atlantic
The campaign will not remain in the "project" phase for long. The first major stage is already on the calendar: The Ocean Race Atlantic, a new fully-crewed transatlantic race for IMOCA boats. The race will start in New York on September 1, and finish in Europe.
For Oliver, this race will be a major test. It will allow us to assess the boat's potential, the team's level of preparation and the program's ability to quickly measure up to a highly competitive IMOCA fleet.
