Co-founded by America's leading offshore sailors Charlie Enright and Mark Towill, 1 Degree is dedicated to winning the world's premier around-the-world sailing race - The Ocean Race - while using the team as a platform to promote the message of sustainable solutions and ocean health to millions of fans, sailors, and audiences worldwide.

 

Charlie and Mark chose 1 Degree to highlight the notion that impacting and changing our everyday behavior as people, even by just one degree at a time, would have a huge effect on the overall environmental health of our planet. 

 

After racing together in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 for Team Alvimedica, Charlie and Mark joined up with global wind-power giant Vestas (Denmark) and Rhode Island-based 11th Hour Racing to form Vestas 11th Hour Racing in a campaign for the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18.

 

It was during that campaign that Charlie and Mark fully embraced the unique ability of sport to educate people, influence fans and affect change across the world – focusing on the topics of ocean health, climate change and clean seas.

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In September 2019, the pair announced a landmark title sponsorship with 11th Hour Racing to create the 11th Hour Racing Team with the aim of returning to the next edition of The Ocean Race in 2021-2022. Their mission remains to put forward the best possible campaign to win The Ocean Race while putting sustainability at the core of all team operations, inspiring positive action among sailing and coastal communities, and global sports fans to create long-lasting change for ocean health.