A professional sailor from Ireland is set to take on one of the toughest jobs in sailing for a second time.

Philip Quinn, who lives in County Down, Northern Ireland, has been selected to lead a team of non-professionals around the globe in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race for the second consecutive time.

The Clipper Race is the only event of its kind which trains people from all walks of life to become ocean racers and take on the endurance challenge of a lifetime. Each of the teams is led by a professional Race Skipper and First Mate.

When Philip lines up with his team at the start line in Portsmouth this August, it will be the second consecutive edition he’s skippered in, after joining the Clipper 2023-24 Race from Leg 4 onwards. Speaking about taking on the challenge again he says: “It means a great deal to me, coming back to lead my own team. I am looking forward to forming a team from the very beginning of this adventure.”

In terms of the competitive edge, Philip added: “I feel set up in terms of knowing how the actual race goes, from a boat point of view and the sailing side of it.”

With over 40 years of experience, Philip takes his sailing seriously, having competed, and placed, in many sailing competitions in the UK, Ireland and Internationally with accolades including: Irish Champion at the Sonata Nationals, 4th place Round Ireland Race, 3rd place Police Sport UK Offshore Championships and race winner in the Police Sailing World Championships. Phil has also competed in two Round Ireland and two Fastnet campaigns, the last of which was completed on a Clipper 68 with Clipper Events.

Sailing from the age of 12, Philip learnt to sail on mirror dinghies, before working his way up through his RYA qualifications where he has achieved up to the level of Yachtmaster Ocean. Philip is also a fully qualified cruising instructor, powerboat instructor and shore-based theory instructor to Yachtmaster Offshore Level.

Eleven competing teams, led by a professional Skipper and First Mate, battle storm-force winds, towering waves, and the relentlessness of racing 24 hours a day for up to 30 days at a time across some of the world’s most unforgiving oceans. The route is divided into eight legs - including six ocean crossings – with participants choosing to complete the full circumnavigation or selecting one or multiple legs.   

Around 30% of Race Crew have no previous sailing experience before they begin their four weeks' training.

To get the job as a Clipper Race Skipper, Philip went through a rigorous selection process led by the Clipper Race Management Team. The team’s Race Director, Deputy Race Director and Race Manager have all competed as Race Skippers on previous editions and therefore understand the unique requirements of this role. Clipper Race Director, Dale Smyth, says: "Our selection process is tough, and rightly so, as these individuals are taking on one of the toughest jobs in the global sailing industry. They need to not only be incredibly good sailors but able to lead, inspire and look after a big team of diverse individuals across the harshest oceans on the planet.”

Each team accrues race points for their leaderboard position at each stage of the global route and they can win bonus race points which are awarded for tactical challenges along the way.

Whilst the race track can be thousands of nautical miles long, racing remains tight. In the past, just seconds have separated teams at the finish line and the overall winner has only been decided at the finish line of the grand finale after 40,000nm of racing.

The Clipper 2025-26 Race Skipper line up:

• Alistair Dickson, Welsh (Menai Bridge, North Wales)
• Angela Brandsma, Dutch (Sneek, The Netherlands)
• David Sautret, French (Bordeaux, France)
• Dylan Kotze, South African (Cape Town, South Africa)
• Ella Hebron, British (Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK)
• Gavin Rees, Welsh (Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, UK)
• Guy Waites, British (Leeds and Catwick, Yorkshire, UK)
• Heather Thomas, British (Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK)
• Lowri “Lou” Boorman, Welsh (Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales)
• Philip Quinn, Irish (County Down, Northern Ireland)
• Terry Kavanagh, Irish (Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK)

The race will make 14 ports of call on its global route, with Portsmouth (UK), Cape Town (South Africa), Qingdao (China) and Tongyeong City (Korea) announced so far, with more port announcements due next week.  

Second Irish skipper Terry Kavanagh

A second Irishman, Terry Kavanagh, who now lives in Portsmouth, UK said: “I’m looking forward to so many things about being a Clipper Race Skipper! But mainly the opportunity to sail around the world with a great, interesting bunch of people, helping them develop into a tight-knit, effective crew who make the most of their epic adventure.

Duo of Irish Sailors to lead teams in world’s toughest endurance challenge with Philip Quinn (left) and Terry Kavanagh

“Ever since I became aware of the Clipper Race, I’ve had it in the back of my mind and now I just can’t wait to get started.”

Terry caught the sailing bug after a sailing trip in the Caribbean. Soon after he qualified as an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean, lived on board a yacht with his wife, and completed his first circumnavigation as First Mate on the Ocean Globe Race. Terry began following the Clipper Race after attending the start of the 2017-18 edition in Liverpool. When his wife, Jacqueline, signed up to circumnavigate during the 2019-20 edition, there was only one thing left; for Terry to have a Clipper Race adventure of his own as a Race Skipper!

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race was founded by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, thirty years ago (March 1995) and trains people from all walks of life to learn seamanship and become ocean racers. Each participant must complete four stages of intensive training before they start the race. The eleven strong fleet of matched Clipper 70 ocean racing yachts make six ocean crossings – including the North Pacific - and the Clipper Race is the only round the world yacht race to cross this ocean.