St. Petersburg will welcome the world’s top offshore sailing competition in the spring of 2027, officials announced Wednesday, marking the first time in 54 years Florida’s Gulf Coast will serve as a race port and the first time the event has included a St. Pete-Clearwater stopover.

The Ocean Race — a round-the-world competition that spans continents and more than 4,500 nautical miles of the Atlantic Ocean — will make its only North American stop in the Tampa Bay area from May 4–16, 2027. The race officially begins in January 2027.

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The St. Petersburg Yacht Club will serve as home base for the stopover, with the fleet of 60-foot foiling sailboats berthed at the University of South Florida Basin before competitors depart for Cascais, Portugal.

“There is really one that sailors consider the pinnacle event,” said Steve Grimes, chief marketing officer for Visit St. Pete-Clearwater said during Wednesday’s Pinellas County Tourist Development Council meeting. “The sort of Mount Everest of sailing.”

Local leaders are projecting tens of thousands of visitors — particularly international travelers — along with millions of dollars flowing into area restaurants, hotels and shops during the 12-day event. Officials drew comparisons to the St. Pete Grand Prix held in early March.

“This is going to be similar but over a 12 day period instead,” Grimes said.

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The stopover is expected to elevate the region’s profile well beyond its well-known beaches.

“Quite literally puts us on the worldwide stage,” Grimes said. “We are known I think for our beaches. We’re not as well known for all of our other things that we’re actively promoting. Whether that’s the arts, the restaurants, our scenic beauty. This has long been a historic destination for sailors. I think sailors have known what a special place this is. I think this is going to allow the rest of the world to get in on what they sort of known for a while.”

City of Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector used the announcement to call for more high-profile events in the region.

“Now I think it makes our destination even more attractive for domestic tourism because they see us as elevated when they might have other choices. This is fantastic,” Rector said at Wednesday’s meeting.

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With The Ocean Race held on a four-year cycle, regional leaders said they are already in talks to potentially make the St. Pete-Clearwater stopover a recurring fixture rather than a one-time event.

“Lots of details still to be worked out exactly about how much has to be built where, but you can imagine it’s going to take over large portions of St. Pete for a couple of weeks,” Grimes said.

Representatives from Visit St. Pete-Clearwater plan to promote the race stop over the next 12 months, including an initiative called “Taking St. Pete on the Road” in New York City in May, as the sailing community gathers for Ocean Race pre-festivities.