Helly Hansen and the Canada Ocean Racing, Be Water Positive Team, announced their partnership for The Ocean Race. As the official clothing supplier, Helly Hansen will provide the IMOCA team with professional-grade, performance gear for the entire race cycle, including The Ocean Race Europe in 2025, The Ocean Race Atlantic in 2026 and The Ocean Race around the world in 2027.

Often described as the longest and toughest professional team sporting event, The Ocean Race challenges the world’s best sailors, putting them and their gear to the test in extreme ocean conditions. Within each fully crewed race, men and women compete in the foiling IMOCA class, where innovation and technology combine to produce record-breaking performances.

“The Ocean Race is a critical part of our Be Water Positive campaign, pushing us and our equipment to the limit in some of the most extreme conditions on Earth, and we’re thrilled to partner with Helly Hansen as our official clothing supplier,” said Scott Shawyer, president and skipper of Canada Ocean Racing. “I’m looking forward to working side-by-side with such a world-class brand to develop, test and validate the equipment that will help keep me and the team safe, comfortable and focused in The Ocean Race events over the next three years.

“Helly Hansen is a name that every sailor knows. Most of us have worn their kit at various points in our careers, and I’m proud to welcome them into the team as we chase down a bold, global ambition together,” continued Shawyer.

Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive will be on the starting line for The Ocean Race Europe 2025, which supports Scott Shawyer’s mission to make history as the first Canadian to complete the Vendée Globe in 2028. Since launching the campaign, he’s set a double-handed course record for the Royal Ocean Racing Club Transatlantic Yacht Race, become the first Canadian to complete the 3,100-nautical-mile New York Vendée and is looking forward to competing in The Ocean Race Europe.

British offshore sailor Pip Hare will sail alongside Canadian skipper Shawyer and the four-person sailing team on every leg of the race. Having competed among the Top 10 of the international IMOCA fleet and in the 2020/21 and 2024 Vendée Globe, she will provide insight and mentorship to the team.

Additionally, the team is championing the Be Water Positive initiative, using their global platform to raise awareness of water scarcity and sustainable solutions, and through the team’s Pathway Program, they’re inspiring and supporting the next generation of Canadian offshore sailors.

“We are proud to partner with the Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team in support of their mission, taking on one of the toughest team sporting events in the world, The Ocean Race,” said Gabriele Galaverni, brand partnerships director at Helly Hansen. “Working with professionals is at the core of everything we do, and being able to partner with a team that’s not only committed to pushing their own performance boundaries but also to raising the profile of offshore sailing is an honor and inspiration. We look forward to collaborating with the team to give them the best possible technical gear as they compete across the world’s harshest waters.”

Helly Hansen, the Norway-based brand, has collaborated with teams competing in The Ocean Race for over 50 years to test the company’s latest designs, materials and technologies. As the official clothing supplier to the Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team, the company will provide the sailors with pieces from Helly Hansen’s Ægir offshore collection. The Ægir collection is the direct result of 50 years of design improvements alongside The Ocean Race teams, and Helly Hansen’s designers will work closely with the team to refine and test new features and designs.

The Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team will join the other competitors on the starting line of The Ocean Race Europe in Kiel, Germany on August 10, 2025, with stops in Portsmouth, UK; Matosinhos-Porto, Portugal (Fly-By); Cartagena, Spain; Nice, France and Genova, Italy, before the finale in Boka Bay, Montenegro.

Image courtesy Helly Hansen: Canada Ocean Racing President and Skipper Scott Shawyer and British Offshore Sailor Pip Hare