Clapcich makes history as the first woman to win the IMOCA Globe Series
Italian-American offshore sailor, Francesca Clapcich, onboard 11th Hour Racing, has finished the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, in eighth place, clinching the IMOCA Globe Series championship title - the first time a woman has won the offshore sailing championship title.
Clapcich crossed the finish line off Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, at 19:41 local time on November 12 [0041 UTC, November 13] after 11 days, 11 hours, 39 minutes, and 9 seconds, having raced 3,954 nautical miles across the Atlantic - her very first solo Atlantic crossing.
“I am super happy to be here in Guadeloupe, but that was a brutal race. It was a race of two halves, but between the boat and myself we showed that we can definitely fight for the podium. I was there … I was in the fight, even without the boat being 100%.
“The last few days have not been the easiest of my sailing career, but at the same time I was trying to find joy in just being out there on the ocean. How special is it what we are doing? There are so many good parts to offshore sailing, you see the sunsets and the sunrise, there is no land, no other people. Life is simple out there. We should remember - when things feel really complicated - how simple things can really be.”
The 13th edition of the famous quadrennial Route du Rhum race saw 115 boats in six classes set off from Saint-Malo, France, bound for the Caribbean, with 22 60-foot sailboats competing in the IMOCA Class. With 11 women in the fleet, Clapcich was one of just three female IMOCA skippers. She is the first Italian woman and first American woman to compete in the race.
Clapcich was in the fight for the podium from the start, choosing a southerly route around a high-pressure system, a bold call that put her second in the fleet. On day five, however, disaster struck for the double Olympian when her fractional Code Zero sail - a powerhouse light-wind sail - dropped into the water, causing a knock-on breakage to her bowsprit. Without the ability to use her light-wind sails, a necessity thanks to the unseasonable lack of strong trade winds, she had to rethink her whole strategy.
“This race was hard from the beginning … it’s a really hard race,” said Clapcich. “We had tough conditions, the fronts, the low pressures, it was a weird transatlantic crossing. But after the big mess and the damage to my bowsprit, that’s where I was really not in a great place mentally.
“I so wanted to do well in this race, I wanted to be fighting for the podium and without the damage, I would probably have been fighting for it. So it was hard to accept for the first few days, but then you make peace with yourself. You still know you are doing something pretty cool.”
An historic IMOCA Globe Series win
There were six sailors in contention for the IMOCA Globe Series title before the start of the Route du Rhum. Clapcich secured the title through a run of results across four of the five events of the season - the 1000 Race, the Vendée Arctique - Les Sables d’Olonne, The Ocean Race Atlantic, and the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe.
Clapcich’s eighth-place finish in the notoriously challenging transatlantic solo race put her on 466 points, clinching her the title just 36 points ahead of two-time previous winner, Sam Goodchild (GBR/FRA) on 430, with Elodie Bonafous (FRA), in third on 388 points.
“It’s the first time that a woman has won the IMOCA Globe Series and I’m super proud of that achievement and it just showcases what women’s sport is really about these days.
“This race has been full of firsts for women - Anne-Claire Le Berre being the first woman to compete in the Ocean Fifty Class, Alexia Barrier the first woman in the ULTIM class. And Elodie did an incredible race in the IMOCAs and she’s on the podium for the Route du Rhum - these are all incredible achievements.
“Representation is a really big deal. Seeing a woman doing it means other women can see that happening and want to do it. It just goes to show how important women’s sport is, and that thanks to the investment there is in women’s sport from organizations like 11th Hour Racing just what we are able to get out of it and achieve.”
Jeremy Pochman, Co-Founder and CEO of title sponsor, 11th Hour Racing said, “Francesca’s win is a historic achievement - the first woman, the first American, and the first Italian to claim the IMOCA Globe Series trophy - and a reflection of the skill, determination, and heart she brings to this sport. We saw those qualities throughout this race.
“She was still competing for a podium after her bowsprit broke, drawing on all her resourcefulness to find a way forward. Through the exhaustion and disappointment, she still made room to celebrate her competitors and think about those whose races had ended early. That generosity and perspective, alongside her competitive drive, are qualities we deeply admire in her. All of us at 11th Hour Racing are incredibly proud of Francesca, and we hope others see what she has achieved and feel encouraged to pursue their own ambitions.”
Clapcich fought back tears as she greeted her team members on the dock with big hugs. “To have this team alongside me and behind me - I’m doing it for everyone here. There has been so much work by everyone to get me here. This finish, the IMOCA Globe Series win - it’s a team award. I couldn’t do it without them.
