Sailing’s landscape is evolving as initiatives focusing on gender equality and ocean conservation are increasingly embedded within the sport’s competitive framework. Driven by growing environmental concerns and social inclusivity goals, these changes are particularly significant given sailing’s reliance on healthy ocean ecosystems.

11th Hour Racing, a philanthropic organisation established in 2010 by Wendy Schmidt, Rob MacMillan, and Jeremy Pochman, has played a pivotal role in promoting sustainability and gender balance within sailing. The group supports environmental solutions, non-profit partnerships, and competitive sailing events to encourage responsible practices. Its origins lie in recognising that despite the outdoor appeal of sailing, the sport generates substantial waste, including single-use plastics.

The organisation’s efforts began with practical measures such as providing reusable bottles and water filtration on the 52 Super Series yacht circuit, reinforcing the feasibility of combining environmental responsibility with high performance. Building on this foundation, 11th Hour Racing is now focused on integrating environmental and social standards into the rules of The Ocean Race, a prominent round-the-world crewed sailing competition held every four years. The next edition is scheduled to start in Alicante in January 2027. Additional races like The Ocean Race Europe in 2021 and The Ocean Race Atlantic in 2023, a transatlantic event covering approximately 3,000 nautical miles from New York City to Lorient, France, have further expanded the race’s reach.

In collaboration with The Ocean Race Atlantic, 11th Hour Racing helped implement a 50:50 gender-balanced crew requirement, aiming to boost female participation at the highest levels of the sport. Francesca Clapcich, a winner of the 2023 round-the-world race with the 11th Hour Racing Team, expressed optimism that such rules may not be necessary in the future as equality becomes the norm. Beyond race rules, the organisation has developed ocean literacy programmes and community engagement events to foster broader awareness around ocean health and inclusivity within sailing.

All teams in The Ocean Race Atlantic competed on IMOCA 60ft yachts, with 11th Hour Racing serving as IMOCA’s sustainability partner. This collaboration facilitated the introduction of a regulation targeting a 15 percent reduction in carbon emissions from new boat construction between 2025 and 2028. While some yachts in the Atlantic race were built prior to this initiative, all teams were required to use at least one sail certified under the Rise program, which lowers carbon emissions associated with sail production by 30 percent compared to conventional materials. The organisation also equipped boats with instruments to collect oceanographic data, including microplastic water samples from the Gulf Stream during the race.

Andrew Lamb, director of partnership development at The Ocean Race, underscored the responsibility felt by sailors due to their direct experience with environmental changes at sea. He described participants as not only observers but active responders to ecological shifts.

From a strategic perspective, 11th Hour Racing emphasises measurable impact over traditional sponsorship metrics such as brand visibility. Michelle Carnevale, its president, highlighted the importance of driving tangible change and embedding sustainability into the fabric of sailing culture rather than treating it as an ancillary initiative. The organisation also promotes environmentally friendly boatbuilding materials, supports ocean science, and advocates for broader access to sailing.

To extend its influence beyond sailing, 11th Hour Racing recently launched The Toolbox, a freely available resource offering guides and tools for organisations across sectors to develop sustainability strategies. For the philanthropic group, success is defined by how deeply sustainability is integrated into organisational operations, as exemplified by the evolving regulations of The Ocean Race that ensure environmental stewardship becomes an inherent aspect of competitive sailing.