CLIPPER RACE – THE START OF RACE 1 – PORTSMOUTH TO PUERTO SHERRY – 7 SEPT 25

Battle over Biscay – Brilliant but Brutal

Direct from our Marlow Ambassador: JT onboard Team Warrant

On 31 August, 10 Clipper 70’s slipped lines from Gunwharf Quays to set sail on a circumnavigation that won’t see them return until July next year.

Race start day saw large crowds lining the coast from the marina right round to Southsea castle as we formed up for a close parade of sail. 

The vibrant energy and the significant support and interest of members of the public provided buoyancy to the crews. It was marvellous to see how much the event means to others, not just those of us onboard and Clipper and Gunwharf certainly put on a show!

Heading for the Bay

After a short race around the cans in The Solent and leaving the English Channel, the Bay of Biscay has demonstrated the reason for its fearsome reputation among sailors. 

We have been battered with winds consistently in the 25 to 40 knot range, peaking at 54 knots on Tuesday night, and the accompanying rough to very rough sea states expected off a North Atlantic depression.

Four days into Race 1, and somewhere in Biscay about 150 NM from Cape Finisterre we are finally seeing some respite in the wind … by which I mean it has reduced to below 20 knots and the crew on board Team Warrant can take stock and address some of the teething issues from the past four days and 700 NM beating upwind towards Spain.

Our Clipper 70 has had to deal with some mechanical issues with primary winches, a disconnected check stay, stuck mast tracks, fine tuning our sail trim, and some minor mainsail damage leaving us on Reef 1 for the remainder of the race. 

Jury rigging is the order of the day … our cockpit is currently criss-crossed with Marlow halyards and sheets between remaining working winches and we have implemented adapted sequences for tack evolutions.

Seasickness & Injuries

It’s not just the boat that has been battered by the weather. Our functional crew was effectively halved due to seasickness and injuries – principally bruised ribs or backs – resulting in a number being absent from watches due to incapacitation. Happily, many have now recovered and are back on deck enjoying some sun along the Northern Coast of Spain.

Having the opportunity to helm this racing yacht through a significant portion of the start of Race 1, was at times a necessity due to our short hands and the challenging evolutions in stormy conditions, but has also been a real privilege. We aren’t passengers and our Skipper, Dylan Kotze and First Mate, Jade Golder ensure that we are constantly actively learning and improving our sailing.

Our difficult initial experience is not unique … many of the fleet have encountered similar or more severe obstacles, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. As we approach Cape Finisterre, the weather forecast presents an opportunity for a downwind sail under spinnaker.

At later stages in the Clipper Round The World Race, members of this current crew will find themselves in the Southern Ocean and the crossing the North Pacific. 

There is a slight irony then on learning from Jade, a former circumnavigator in the last race edition herself, that these unusual first few days will likely be some of the toughest we will encounter across the entire journey, but also a sense of pride that we have made it through the adversity through combined perseverance and tenacity.

It’s a healthy reality check for prospective ocean racers and I don’t doubt that some Leg 1 participants across the fleet will have questions about whether this is really for them.

Spectacular sunrises, skies and deep blue swells

Hopefully they will recognise the many highs alongside the challenges. Spectacular sunrises and sunsets, whale, dolphin and even shark sightings, rainbows, deep blue ocean swells, clear blue skies and the warmth of the late summer sun on our downwind leg.

We have already grown and learned a great deal from a short spell, and there is a recognition that we have much further to go … 

It is after all one of the primary reasons that many of us have chosen to participate.

https://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/clipper-2025-26-race-edition/stages/1

Race Tracker: https://clipperroundtheworld.geovoile.com/2025/tracker/

07/09/25

UPDATE: On rounding Finisterre we were met by our third low in less than a week and were once again dealing with wind on the nose. After punching through the weather to reach some westerlies, we now have our Code 2 up, heading down the coast of Portugal, about a third of the way through our Ocean Sprint.