Women Take Lead in Clipper Race with Historic Representation

19th August 2025

Afloat.ie Team

55% of the professional Clipper Race sailing line up are women

On 31 August, twenty sailing professionals will depart from Portsmouth for the Clipper Round the World Race. Notably, 55% of the leaders are women, setting a record for the event.

The Clipper Race is unique in training individuals from diverse backgrounds to become ocean racers. This year's line-up features 11 women as skippers and first mates, including Lorraine O'Hanlon from County Clare.

Ella Hebron, a Clipper 2025-26 Race Skipper, stated, “Sailing is a level playing field – with the ocean an equaliser." She reflects on the challenges and joys that all sailors face. Each of the ten teams includes an experienced skipper and first mate. Four out of ten skippers in this edition are women, and the number of female first mates has risen from four to seven. The crew comes from various professions, including teachers and firefighters, and up to 40% have never sailed before.

Participants undergo rigorous training for the eleven-month race. Welsh Skipper Lowri “Lou” Boorman emphasised, “There are no ‘pink jobs’ or ‘blue jobs’ on the boat.” She believes in the capability of every crew member, regardless of gender.

As the race begins, crews will tackle extreme weather and challenging conditions, testing their mental and physical limits.

The full Clipper 2025-26 Race Skipper line-up:

Angela Brandsma, Dutch (Sneek, The Netherlands)
David Sautret, French (Bordeaux, France)
Dylan Kotze, South African (Cape Town, South Africa)
Oliver Irvine, Northern Irish (Chester)
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)

The full First Mate line-up is as follows:

Amy Smith, British (Somerset, UK)
Charlie Cullen, British (West Sussex, UK)
Brian Uniacke, Irish (Dublin, Ireland)
Diana Vega, British (Isle of Wight, UK)
Faith Nordbruch, British (Isle of Wight, UK)
Jade Golder, British (Surrey, UK)
Lorraine O'Hanlon, Irish (Clare, Ireland)
Millie Apperley, British (West Yorkshire, UK)
Otto Kulow, British/German (Leipzig, Germany/Harrogate, UK)
Zoe Longley, British (Derbyshire, UK)

Published in Clipper Race, Women in Sailing

Published in Clipper Race

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About the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is undoubtedly one of the greatest ocean adventures on the planet, also regarded as one of its toughest endurance challenges. Taking almost a year to complete, it consists of eleven teams competing against each other on the world’s largest matched fleet of 70-foot ocean racing yachts.

The Clipper Race was established in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo, non-stop, around the world in 1968-69. His aim was to allow anyone, regardless of previous sailing experience, the chance to embrace the thrill of ocean racing; it is the only event of its kind for amateur sailors. Around 40 per cent of crew are novices and have never sailed before starting a comprehensive training programme ahead of their adventure.

This unique challenge brings together everyone from chief executives to train drivers, nurses and firefighters, farmers, airline pilots and students, from age 18 upwards, to take on Mother Nature’s toughest and most remote conditions. There is no upper age limit, the oldest competitor to date is 76.

Now in its twelfth edition, the Clipper 2019-20 Race started from London, UK, on 02 September 2019.