NEW OCEAN & CLIMATE ODYSSEY 2025–2027
In May 2025, the Race for Water Foundation launched a new expedition: the Ocean & Climate Odyssey, aboard the MODX 70 — an innovative catamaran with zero pollutant and noise emissions, serving as a true ambassador for the maritime ecological transition.
In addition to mobilizing maritime stakeholders toward decarbonization, this three-year international adventure—carried out through a series of missions—aims to deepen our understanding of the connections between the ocean, climate, and biodiversity, and to transform that knowledge into drivers of collective action.
CALL FOR COLLABORATIONS
Building on the success of its first campaign, the Posidonia Mission carried out along the French Mediterranean coast, the Race for Water Foundation is already preparing the next stages of the Ocean & Climate Odyssey.
To continue this international adventure, the Foundation is seeking scientific, institutional, and private partners committed to a healthy and living ocean :
- Scientific and institutional collaborations to deepen the study of climate change impacts on marine ecosystems and document the ocean’s key role in climate regulation. If you are a research group from laboratories, universities, or research institutes with a project related to major Ocean & Climate challenges, Race for Water invites you to embark aboard the MODX 70 to advance your research projects while minimizing your impact on the marine environment. Learn more about our call for scientific collaborations.
- Alliances with pioneering companies willing to experiment with concrete solutions, support research, and amplify large-scale awareness efforts.
- Support from patrons and donor foundations to fund increasingly ambitious exploration and education missions.
A FOUNDATION COMMITTED TO A HEALTHY AND LIVING OCEAN
Founded in 2010 by Swiss entrepreneur and ocean enthusiast Marco Simeoni, the Race for Water Foundation is dedicated to preserving the Ocean.
Convinced that life is only possible with a living ocean, the Foundation has been leading global expeditions for more than a decade, the Race for Water Odysseys, to better understand the threats facing the oceans, share this knowledge widely, and promote concrete and sustainable solutions.
Since its creation, each Odyssey has been built around a pioneering expedition vessel, symbolizing the mission it embodies. Powered by clean and innovative technologies, these vessels have always reflected the Foundation’s commitment to reducing the environmental footprint of navigation and demonstrating that another maritime model is possible.
True floating laboratories, they enable the Foundation to connect science, policymakers, private actors, and citizens, transforming knowledge into action.
3 COMPLEMENTARY PROGRAMS: LEARN – SHARE – ACT
OUR ODYSSEYS: AN EXCEPTIONAL MOBILISING FORCE
True maritime adventures, the Race for Water Odysseys combine exploration, sharing and action, bringing together researchers, decision-makers, businesses, educators and citizens. These immersive experiences at sea allow participants to experience and understand ocean issues first-hand, enabling them to take more effective action on land. From the first two Odyssées dedicated to plastic pollution to the new Ocean & Climate expedition, the Foundation pursues the same ambition: to transform knowledge into collective commitment for a healthy and living ocean, the guarantor of life on Earth.
First global assessment of plastic pollution in the oceans
This expedition aimed to analyse the beaches of the islands located within the perimeter of the 5 oceanic gyres to carry out the first global inventory of plastic pollution in the oceans and its consequences on populations. In order to facilitate the comparability of the data collected, the mission was carried out in a record time of less than 300 days, thanks to the racing trimaran MOD70, the first “Race for Water” vessel.
The situation is dramatic: plastic pollution is omnipresent, in frightening proportions and mainly in the form of micro or even nanoparticles, reducing the chances of one day being able to clean up the Ocean. However, there is an urgent need to stop the bleeding and tackle the problem at its source, on land, by preventing waste from reaching the Ocean.
- 3 scientific publications
- 17 stopovers
- 32 000 miles covered across 5 oceans
- 192 250 microparticules collected
- 6 945 people reached
- 679 press release
The odyssey of hope
This expedition was held onboard a revolutionary ship, a true demonstrator of the energy transition. Thanks to its mixed solar-hydrogen-kite propulsion system, for more than 3 years we've traveled the world's oceans with energy autonomy without producing any Carbone emission. This iconic ambassador ship has allowed us to host scientific missions and denounce the scale of the plastic pollution disaster on ecosystems while promoting pragmatic and relevant solutions to prevent plastic waste from reaching waterways. Each stopover was also an opportunity to investigate the local plastic pollution situation and meet key players in the fight against it.
- 7 scientific programs
- 23 stopovers
- 27000 miles
- 5 ACT programs
- 16200 people reached (schools, businesses, governments, NGOs, journalists and the general public)
- 3 117 press release
«I have always been passionate about sailing and the oceans. I could not stand by and do nothing while watching them deteriorate.»
– Marco Simeoni, Founder of Race For Water
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