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In the context of offshore regattas still being largely closed to the Southern Hemisphere, Virtual Regatta’s latest offshore offering provides something for the meantime.

Launched on 25 July at 6:00pm CEST (2:00am AEST) and named the Indian Ocean Race, this new addition to the company’s portfolio will see competitors race a distance of almost 4,000 nautical miles from Perth to Colombo, moving through inter-tropical convergence zones.

The expansion comes less than a year after the French-based brand introduced its offshore title. An introduction that marked the second video game to be published by Virtual Regatta, the first being Virtual Regatta Inshore.

According to the company’s website, the business was founded in 2010 as a “small team of passionate designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs gathered around the idea that virtual sailing sports games can mix with real races and real skippers”.