Offshore: Canada Ocean Racing – New Foiling IMOCA 60, Pip Hare Joins
May 8, 2025
There’s much big news from Scott Shawyer and Canada Ocean Racing. The team has just acquired a current generation foiling IMOCA 60 – formerly known as Groupe Dubreuil and originally 11th Hour Racing – Mālama. The team also announced that British offshore sailor Pip Hare will join its Be Water Positive campaign for the 2025 edition of The Ocean Race Europe.
New boat
The boat is renamed Emira IV and the purchase marks a bold new chapter for Canadian skipper Scott Shawyer and his team. This will be Scott’s first-time racing on a foiling IMOCA, the game-changing technology that is revolutionising ocean racing. With large hydrofoils lifting the boat above the water to reduce drag and increase speed, these yachts represent the very edge of performance.
This cutting-edge yacht boasts an impressive race record, including a win in The Ocean Race 2023 under Charlie Enright and a hard-fought third place in the 2024 Vendée Globe with Sébastien Simon at the helm. Originally designed for 11th Hour Racing, Emira IV is one of the most sustainable IMOCA builds to date. Its construction included renewable energy sources, bio-based resins, recycled plastic materials, and structural innovations that reduced over 100kg of carbon fibre. Onboard systems are powered largely by solar panels and a hydro generator, with 60% of the boat’s energy coming from renewable sources.
Now, it is set to carry Canada Ocean Racing and its Be Water Positive initiative as Scott prepares for one of the toughest solo sporting challenges in the world: the Vendée Globe 2028.
New Crew
Pip Hare will sail alongside Canadian skipper Scott Shawyer and the four-person sailing team on every leg of the The Ocean Race Europe, sharing her extensive offshore racing experience and energy. Pip is no stranger to pushing boundaries. She rose to international recognition during the 2020–21 Vendée Globe, where she won the hearts of thousands of race followers with her competitive spirit and her ability to tell a captivating story of human endeavour. In the years since, Pip has continued to inspire, competing amongst the top ten of the international IMOCA fleet, and recently managing a dramatic dismasting during the 2024 Vendée Globe.
Pip’s arrival comes at a key moment for the team as they take possession of their new foiling IMOCA yacht) and commence the final four-year build toward Scott’s long-term goal of finishing the 2028-9 Vendée Globe.
“Pip is a ruthless competitor with a huge heart,” said Scott Shawyer, president and skipper of Canada Ocean Racing. “She brings a rare mix of tenacity, experience, and humanity to the team. Her ability to dig deep and lead through action will be a huge asset to us.”
The Ocean Race Europe offers a unique proving ground for people and performance; this race in 2025 will be the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe, following a debut event in the summer of 2021. The course stretches from the Baltic Sea, through the North Sea and English Channel, into the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean before a finish in Boka Bay, Montenegro – the first time The Ocean Race will compete on the Adriatic Sea.
Pip’s involvement will help to strengthen the team’s campaign as she takes on the role of watch leader, contributing to the strategy, and performance and seamanship onboard.
Last year, Shawyer became the first Canadian to complete the New York–Vendée solo transatlantic race, finishing the 3,100-nautical-mile course in 14 days aboard Emira I, a non-foiling IMOCA. The race was ultimately won by a foiling IMOCA in 10 days, which indicates the performance potential in modern foiling yachts.
