Sailing Enters the Metaverse: ‘The Ocean Race’ Casts Off With Its Virtual Regatta Simulator

The Ocean Race, a yacht race around the world held every few years since 1973, is teaming up with Virtual Regatta and Accenture to drum up more hype for said yacht race.

Sailors (and non-sailors) can now try their hand at the Ocean Race virtually through a pilot simulator — no sailing experience, team, or race entry required. Now, fans can follow the physical (and virtual race) in realtime in the simulator.

“[We created a] virtual reality pilot to enhance fan experiences, enable new e-commerce opportunities, and inspire people to protect the ocean,” wrote the company in an announcement.

And the “metaverse” doesn’t just include a virtual experience of the race; users on the interface can visit booths and the team pavilion and learn about the race course, events, and sustainability initiatives. Interested in checking out the 21st-century version of the famed Race? Check out the all-digital race village — just know access to the metaverse is limited.

Accenture and The Ocean Race expect more than 200,000 players to take part in the Virtual Regatta version of the race. If you miss out on the simulator, just know that you can still follow live racing teams at theoceanrace.com.

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