Injured crew airlifted during Clipper Race

(September 3, 2025; Day 4) – A crew member on board Team Qingdao, Andrew Smith, sustained an injury during the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 2025-26 and was airlifted off the boat near the western tip of France.

Skipper Philip Quinn and Deputy Race Director Max Rivers liaised with the French authorities for the helicopter pick-up which was successfully performed by 12:20 UTC, taking Smith to a hospital in Brest, France.

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 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. Ten teams will compete in the 2025-26 race, with the 14th edition getting underway from Portsmouth, UK on August 31.

The course has eight legs which includes stops in Puerto Sherry (Spain), Punta del Este (Uruguay), Cape Town (South Africa), Fremantle and Arlie Beach (Australia), Subic Bay (Philippines), Qingdao (China), Tongyeong City (Korea), Seattle (USA), Panama, Washington, DC (USA) and Oban (UK) before returning to Portsmouth (UK) in summer 2026.

Source: Clipper Round the World Yacht Race