She began her career as an Olympian and European and World Skiff Champion, competing in the Laser Radial and, most recently, the 49erFX at the Games, where she finished fifth in Rio de Janeiro. Then, in 2023, Francesca Clapcich – who was born in Trieste and lives in the USA – became the first Italian woman to win The Ocean Race with Team 11th Hour Racing. Her current goal is to compete in the Vendée Globe for the first time in 2028/2029. Even when she made her debut in the IMOCA class with her own boat last year, it was clear that a thoroughbred athlete had entered the fray.
Francesca Clapich: at the top in her first year with her own IMOCA
Nevertheless, the 38-year-old surprised everyone with her results in her first races with “11th Hour Racing”, which she had taken over from Boris Herrmann as the former ‘Malizia 3’. Above all second place at Café L’Or, which she brought home alongside Will Harris in a two-handed format on 7 November 2025, immediately caught everyone’s attention right at the start of her new challenge as an IMOCA skipper. Clapcich and Harris secured the silver podium place through intense manual steering and sound tactics.
This was followed by two fifth-place finishes in the 1000 Race and the Vendée Arctique, before Frankie Clapcich led her team to second place on the podium in the new Ocean Race Atlantic. 11th Hour Racing had only just missed out on victory on the leg from New York to Lorient, because Paul Meilhat’s Team United by the Ocean overtook them in the final stretch.
Francesca Clapcich’s overall performance in her first year in the IMOCA class is remarkable. Of course, new boats are still under construction and not all the IMOCA frontrunners are in action yet. Nevertheless, one has to the formidable all-rounder Clapcich, who leads the IMOCA championship standings to have on her list before the start of the Route du Rhum on 1 November at 1.02 pm. She leads the standings with 356 points, ahead of top favourite Sam Goodchild (“Macif”, 280 points) and Ambrogio Beccaria (“Allagrande Mapei”, 245 points).
Success with a broad sailing horizon and Boris Herrmann’s boat
This means that Francesca Clapcich is not only sailing Boris Herrmann’s former boat, but also following in his championship-winning footsteps. The 45-year-old was in 2021 the Crowned champion of the IMOCA series from 2018 to 2021 – at that time still sailing “Malizia 2” (formerly “Gitana 16”). A key factor in this decision was his fifth-place finish on his Vendée Globe debut in 2020/2021. Boris Herrmann, too, is setting off eagerly on the 13th Route du Rhum with his new “Malizia 4”, though he knows he is still in the process of unlocking the full potential of his speedster – which was only launched in Lorient at the start of July – in solo mode.
Francesca Clapcich has got to know her “11th Hour Racing” yacht – built in 2022 and tried, tested and refined over the years – very well, thanks in part to Team Malizia, which is helping to manage her campaign. Her achievements to date have been praised by IMOCA class president Antoine Mermod, who said: “I am very impressed by her performance, particularly as she is one of the most versatile sailors to have made the transition from the Olympic Games to offshore sailing – first as part of a crew, then as a solo sailor.”
There aren’t many sailors with this kind of background. And even more than this background, it is her achievements that are truly impressive.” Antoine Mermod
Francesca Clapcich is the athlete, who, including her participation in the 2024 Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona, is set to become the first sailor in history – male or female – to conquer all four major pinnacles of the sport: the Olympic Games, The Ocean Race, the America’s Cup and – coming soon – the Vendée Globe. She is guided on her journey by the slogan “Believe, Belong, Achieve”. Every single one of these words – belief, belonging, success – undoubtedly applies to her.
Clapcich is a fighter and a likeable ambassador for her values
A mother to a young daughter, she lives out her commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion both on land and at sea. She is a credible advocate for the power of community spirit in sport and for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, whilst climate justice and sustainability are also right at the top of her agenda. For Clapcich, IMOCA sailing is certainly about winning, but it’s also about conveying her values and trying to make the world a kinder place.
Just how ambitious she is in her sport was evident – and endearing – at the finish line of the Ocean Race Atlantic. She was visibly and audibly annoyed at having missed out on victory, and even as a strong runner-up, she did not sugar-coat her frustration with her team over the last-minute defeat in the battle for first place. A former member of the Italian Air Force, the sailor – who lives with her family in Utah – is a fighter through and through.
"Francesca is a great role model for others and shows that there is more than one way to succeed in our sport." Antoine Mermod
Francesca Clapcich’s statement – having taken up sailing at the age of eleven in her home waters in Italy – is as clear-cut as the woman herself when it comes to the Route du Rhum: “In a few days’ time, I’ll be on the starting line of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe for my first solo transatlantic race. I’m leading the IMOCA Globe Series and I’ll be racing hard. But this crossing is about more than just the result.”
“I’ve spent my whole life trying to find my place in sailing. Now I’m working to make sailing accessible to as many people as possible.” Francesca Clapcich
There are few sailors who laugh or smile as often or as readily as Francesca Clapcich. This is also down to her optimistic outlook on life. No one should be fooled by her friendliness and zest for life into thinking that this woman isn’t pursuing highly ambitious goals. Like many IMOCA sailors, the Route du Rhum is the highlight of her year. It will be exciting to see what she can achieve in the solo race aboard ‘11th Hour’.