The history-making 14th edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race gets underway
by Clipper Ventures 3 Sep 23:33 PDT
The Clipper Race fleet of ten identical 70ft racing yachts set off from Portsmouth, UK, to embark on the 40,000nm race around the globe © Clipper Ventures
A true test of human endeavour, 20 sailing professionals departed Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, on Sunday leading their ten teams, formed of non-professional sailors, on the eleven-month endurance challenge around the world. The opening race of the circuit is a relatively short 1275nm race to Puerto Sherry, Spain, but with high winds and the Bay of Biscay to contend with, the shorter milage is not to be mistaken for a gentle start.
Clipper Race Director Dale Smyth said: "The conditions for the first few days are looking quite tough; upwind conditions in the English Channel and into the Bay of Biscay where the upwind conditions should peak before turning behind them. Hopefully at that point they will be able to get their spinnakers up as they run down the coast of Portugal and into Puerto Sherry. It should take between six and eight days for teams to complete this first race."
And on this record-breaking 14th edition of the race, 11 out of the 20 exceptional leaders (55%) will be women - the first time this has been seen in a round the world sailing race. There is only one of the ten teams with an all-male leadership duo.
Clipper Race Skipper Angela Brandsma, from The Netherlands, and First Mate Amy Smith, from the UK, are leading Team Power of Seattle Sports. Speaking just before departing Portsmouth, says Angela: "I am very proud to have an all-women leadership team on Power of Seattle Sports.
"I have always been an advocate for women in sailing, and I always sailed in female teams. I raced a lot with my sister and other women, and I think it's amazing to be paired up with Amy [First Mate]."
Reflecting on the mammoth task ahead, she adds: "This is exciting, this is frightening - such a mix of emotions which is super normal. It's hard to say goodbye to family, especially those racing the whole way around. But we are a strong team, they've got each other's backs, and I know they will be great."
The Clipper Race spans 40,000 nautical miles around the world, crossing six oceans and is the only round the world yacht race to include the North Pacific Ocean on its global route. From hurricane force winds, to blistering heat, the isolation of the world's oceans and learning to learning to live on a yacht with stripped back facilities in close quarters with their teammates - this event is a true test of mental and physical fortitude for the non-professional Race Crew.
Everyday people representing over 40 nationalities will take all that Mother Nature can muster as they embark on the 14th edition of Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
One Race Crew member taking part in the full circumnavigation is Abigail Shanahan, a sailing writer from Worcester, Central Massachusetts, USA, racing on Team GOSH to pursue a career dream. Speaking on the day of departure, she said: "I was a writer for US Sailing, I have worked in the sailing industry for quite a while, and I would love to one day work as an on-board reporter for The Ocean Race.
"I got to volunteer in the media room for the America's Cup which meant I had the unique opportunity to hang out with some really cool people, and I started hearing about their incredible stories. I had a little bit of audacity to think 'I could do that!' so I started interviewing some people and they all told me to do the Clipper Race. So, about a week later I signed up and I was on my first level of training!"
The Clipper Race, which is part of Clipper Ventures, is renowned for creating and offering pathways at every level through the sailing industry.
In this edition alone, Race Skipper Heather Thomas is a former Race Crew member from the 2015-16 edition who went on to Skipper Maiden to victory in the Ocean Globe Race in 2024 before returning to the Clipper Race to lead a team. Angela Brandsma and Ella Hebron, have both previously done the Clipper Race as First Mates and have returned as Race Skippers whilst Jade Golder and Lorraine O'Hanlon are both former Race Crew who have returned to be First Mates. Guy Waites and Philip Quinn are both former Clipper Race Skippers who have returned to lead teams yet again.
The Clipper Race is unique in that it is open to anyone over 18, with no previous sailing experience required, taking people from all walks of life and training them to become ocean racers.
The race is broken down into eight legs and Race Crew can take on any combination of one, through to all eight legs - making them circumnavigators. On this edition, the race will stop in Puerto Sherry (Spain), Punta del Este (Uruguay), Cape Town (South Africa), Fremantle and Airlie Beach (Australia), Subic Bay (Philippines), Qingdao (China), Tongyeong City (Korea), Seattle (USA), Panama, Washington, DC (USA) and Oban (UK) before returning to Portsmouth (UK) next summer.
The Clipper Race was founded 30 years ago by legendary sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo, non-stop around the world. Now in its 14th edition, the Clipper Race breaks down barriers to ocean racing and enables people from many different age, geographic and occupational backgrounds, the lifechanging opportunity to push their limits and experience Mother Nature in her raw and powerful glory.
Leading the teams around the globe on the upcoming edition are Skipper and First Mate pairings:
- David Sautret (France) and Lorraine O Hanlon (Ireland) | Team Yacht Club Punta del Este
- Angela Brandsma (The Netherlands) and Amy Smith (UK) | Team Power of Seattle Sports
- Heather Thomas (UK) and Millie Apperley (UK) | Team Scotland
- Lowri (Lou) Boorman (UK) and Brian Uniacke (Ireland) | Team Tongyeong
- Gavin Rees (UK) and Zoe Longley (UK) | Team London Business School
- Ella Hebron (UK) and Charlie Cullen (UK) | Team Washington, DC
- Oliver Irvine (UK) and Otto Kulow (UK/Germany) | Team GOSH
- Philip Quinn (Ireland) and Faith Nordbruch (UK) | Team Qingdao
- Dylan Kotze (South Africa) and Jade Golder (UK) | Team Warrant
- Guy Waites (UK) and Diana Vega (UK) | Team UNICEF