Helly Hansen and the Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team Announce Partnership for The Ocean Race
May 27, 2025
Canada Ocean Racing team member Pip Hare stands with President and Skipper, Scott Shawyer.
The leading global sailing brand will be the Official Clothing Supplier to the team for The Ocean Race Europe in 2025, The Ocean Race Atlantic in 2026 and The Ocean Race around the world in 2027
Helly Hansen, the leading global sailing brand trusted by professionals worldwide, and the Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team are proud to announce their partnership for The Ocean Race. As the Official Clothing Supplier, Helly Hansen will provide the IMOCA team with professional-grade, performance-driven gear for an 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 some of the most extreme ocean conditions. Within each of the fully crewed races, men and women compete together in the foiling IMOCA class, where innovation and technology combine to produce record-breaking performance.
“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 3 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.”
Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive will be on the starting line for The Ocean Race Europe 2025, which plays a crucial role supporting Scott Shawyer’s mission to make history as the first Canadian to complete the legendary 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 grueling 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 Scott Shawyer and the four-person sailing team on every leg of the race. Having competed amongst the top ten of the international IMOCA fleet and in the 2020-21 and 2024 Vendée Globe, she will provide invaluable 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.”
A global leader in technical sailing apparel and official sponsor of the Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team as well as an official partner of The Ocean Race organization, Helly Hansen is trusted by professionals all over the world, drawing on their insight and feedback to create gear with innovation, high- performance, and protection at the forefront. The Norway-based brand has collaborated with teams competing in The Ocean Race for over 50 years, harnessing these partnerships to test their latest designs, materials and technologies. Partnering with the race organization alongside the Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team, Helly Hansen will continue to take inspiration from their experiences to create gear that advances the sport and provides maximum protection in even the most extreme environments.
As Official Clothing Supplier to the Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team, the sailors will be provided with pinnacle 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.
To find out more about the partnership, visit hellyhansen.com. Explore Helly Hansen’s existing Ægir offshore collection at hellyhansen.com
About Helly Hansen
Founded in Norway in 1877, Helly Hansen continues to develop professional-grade apparel that helps people stay and feel alive. Through insights drawn from living and working in the world’s harshest environments, the company has developed a long list of first-to-market innovations, including the first supple waterproof fabrics nearly 150 years ago. Other breakthroughs include the first fleece fabrics in the 1960s, the first technical base layers in the 1970s, made
Helly Hansen is a leader in technical sailing and performance ski apparel, as well as premium workwear. Its uniforms are worn and trusted by more than 55,000 professionals and can be found on Olympians, National Teams, and at more than 200 ski resorts and mountain guiding operations globally.
Helly Hansen’s outerwear, base layers, sportswear and footwear are sold in more than 40 countries around the world. To learn more about Helly Hansen’s latest collections, visit www.hellyhansen.com.
About the Canada Ocean Racing Team
Canada Ocean Racing is on a mission to make history. Its president and skipper, Scott Shawyer, wants to become the first Canadian to complete the legendary Vendée Globe in 2028. An engineer, entrepreneur, and adventurer, Scott brings a unique combination of technical expertise, drive, and resilience to the sport. 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 grueling 3,100-nautical-mile New York Vendée, and is now on the start line of The Ocean Race Europe. But this is more than a racing campaign. The team are 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, ensuring lasting impact far beyond the finish line.
