Clipper Race will start in Portsmouth

The 2025-26 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is returning to Portsmouth to kick off the next lap of the globe. And when the fleet departs from Gunwharf Quays this August, the event will be celebrating two milestones, the 25th anniversary of the first departure from the city of Portsmouth and 30 years of training people to cross oceans and sail around the world.

Partnering with Gunwharf Quays on the event, Race Start will see a four-day festival starting on August 28, 2025, taking over the venue and its surrounding waters, and culminating in a grand departure for this editions competing teams on August 31. Building on the success of the last event in the city (in 2024), the event hopes to bring an even bigger number of domestic and international visitors to Portsmouth.

For one crew member, the departure will be all the more special as she will be departing from home waters. Amy Walshe, a Portsmouth local, will be waving her hometown goodbye, after she decided to do something extraordinary and signed up to take on the Clipper 2025-26 Race.

Describing herself as ‘your everyday person’, after visiting the event’s Race Finish celebrations at Gunwharf Quays last summer, Amy couldn’t resist enrolling to be one of the next Clipper Race crew members.

She said, “Since signing up for the Clipper Race, it does feel like it’s joining a big family, and I like that. And because I’m local it’s great to be involved in everything I can in the build-up to my leg (from Portsmouth to South America).”

The Race Start Festival opens its doors on August 28, and at the heart of the family friendly program of events will be the Race Crew about to embark on this adventure. Visitors will be able to hear from them their individual stories about why they chose this epic feat, with a hope they inspire someone else to pursue their dreams of becoming an ocean racer. They’ll also be opening the hatches to the Clipper 70 yachts they will be calling home as they race around the world, giving the public a rare glimpse inside what life at sea can look like, both above and below deck.

The announcement marks the Clipper Race as the closing event on a summer of sailing in the city, which will see the Ocean Globe Race Europe, and Sail GP host their events on the Solent earlier in the year.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, President and Co-Founder of Clipper Ventures, said: “It is great for Clipper Ventures to call the Solent home, especially when it is going to be the heart of such a packed sailing agenda over the summer months.

“To announce that for a second edition running we will be back at Gunwharf Quays for our Race Start and Finish celebrations, and with the fleet based just over the water at our HQ in Gosport, it gives us the opportunity to re-engage with a local community that we know are invested in our race and its crew.

“Over the coming months we look forward to sharing a program of events that will get the whole family out to witness the spectacle that is the Clipper Race.”

The event, focused on building community engagement, is expected to boost the local economy. At the Clipper Race Grand Finale celebrations in July 2024, over 90,000 people descended on the center to witness the fleets return – and over 50% of those travelled from outside of the local area. These visitors brought an estimated economic impact of over £7.5m to the area through spend on accommodation, food and drink and local travel.

Of the ongoing partnership with Clipper Race, Yvonne Clay, Centre Director at Gunwharf Quays, said, “In 2023, we were privileged to host the start of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, and last summer it was amazing to welcome the teams back as they crossed the Finish Line. The atmosphere on both occasions was phenomenal and we are delighted to be involved again. This year, we will proudly welcome the Clipper Race as they embark on their epic journey to circumnavigate the globe, setting sail from our very own waterfront.

“The event has become a highlight on our calendar, and we know our guests will share our excitement in watching the fleet of yachts once again this August.”

The full Clipper Race Start Festival program will launch in early summer, along with the opportunity to book a place on one of the spectator boats that will get up close to the action.

Event Details: www.clipperroundtheworld.com

About the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race:
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.

Held biennially, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has a fleet of eleven identical Tony Castro designed Clipper 70s that compete on a multi-leg course around the world. The team having the best cumulative score over the entire course wins the Clipper Race Trophy. The 2025-26 race will be the 14th edition.

Source: Clipper Round the World Yacht Race