Transat Café L'Or: Clapcich chooses Harris for the first Transat - "Natural decision"

Francesca Clapcich has long been one of the female heavyweights of the professional sailing world. Her passion began at the age of eleven in her native Trieste. The future Vendée Globe challenger with dual citizenship now lives in the USA and has achieved more than few other female sailors.

Francesca Clapcich grew up in Trieste, Italy, studied at the Nautical Institute of Trieste and later graduated in sports science at the University of San Raffale. As a full-time competitive athlete, she joined the Italian Air Force, just like the national sailors of the German Armed Forces, who support them as sports soldiers. Francesca Clapcich was serving as First Senior Airman when her sailing career also took off.

On course for the Vendée Globe: an earned career

The all-rounder has represented Italy twice at the Olympic Games: She sailed to 19th place in the Laser Radial in Weymouth in 2012 and narrowly missed out on a medal in the 49erFX with helmswoman Giulia Conti in Rio de Janeiro. She contested the historic first Women's America's Cup last year for American Magic. However, "Frankie" has achieved her greatest successes to date in the offshore sector of her sport, which has long since become her profession.

Francesca Clapcich was the first Italian woman in the then 50-year history of the Ocean Race to win the 2023 Around the World Team Race with Charlie Enright's 11th Hour Racing team. It was her second race around the world. She contested her first Ocean Race with Dee Caffari's mixed crew on "Turn the Tide on Plastic" in 2017/2018.

Now the determined Francesca Clapcich is aiming for an achievement that no sailor before her has ever managed: by the beginning of 2029, Francesca Clapcich wants to be the first to have rocked all four of the sailing world's major summits - the Olympics, America's Cup, The Ocean Race and then the Vendée Globe. As she says in the film "Between the Waves", she knows: "I always want to get better out there because I really want to be at the best events in the world. I wasn't the most talented. I know that. And I always admit that. But I work so hard, so hard. It's always been like that. In every sport I've played."

Transat co-skipper of your choice: Will Harris

It has been officially known since March that Francesca Clapcich is aiming to take part in the Vendée Globe 2028 with her title sponsor 11th Hour Racing. She has acquired Boris Herrmann's "Malizia - Seaexplorer" for this purpose. She will gain her first regatta experience with the 2022 design as co-skipper alongside Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia this summer in the Ocean Race Europe, which starts on 10 August off Kiel.

Francesca Clapcich will then tackle her first two-handed race with Will Harris in the autumn. The Transat Café L'Or starts on 26 October and takes its challengers in four classes from Le Havre to Martinique. The combination of the Italian-American power player Francesca Clapcich and the meteorologically and technically strong Will Harris looks promising, and not just on paper. The thoroughbred athlete and Boris Herrmann's long-term companion harmonise with each other both on a sporting and personal level.

Choosing Will as my co-skipper for my first Transat Café L'Or was a very natural decision." Francesca Clapcich

Francesca Clapcich commented on her decision in favour of Harris: "Will has more than 100,000 nautical miles of ocean sailing behind him and has in-depth knowledge of meteorology and data analysis. Thanks to his six-year involvement with Team Malizia, he is also very familiar with the electronic systems on board. He's also a great person who always has a smile on his face, even when things aren't going perfectly! He will be an excellent partner for my first Imoca regatta with a small crew."

Destination Vendée Globe: first European race, then Transat

Will Harris also has confidence in their joint potential. Boris Herrmann's loyal co-skipper says: "I've known Francesca as a talented sailor since she took part in the Ocean Race 2017/2018. I am very happy to finally get the opportunity to sail with her. We both sailed the Solitaire du Figaro. So I know she has a strong background in short-handed sailing."

The Brit continued: "Combined with her Olympic experience, her victory in the last Ocean Race edition with Team 11th Hour Racing and her very positive attitude, I think she is a great sailor and will make an excellent co-skipper." Francesca Clapcich will finish her stint as a crew member of the Ocean Fifty team UpWind by MerConcept at the end of June. This will be followed by a three-month stint as co-skipper in Team Malizia alongside Boris Herrmann.

The intensive "warm-up" on board her future racing yacht for the Vendée Globe will be followed in October by the first double-handed race under her own steam alongside Will Harris. She knows how important it is: "This is my first competition for Team Francesca Clapcich powered by 11th Hour Racing with the new boat. It is therefore a very important race for our new team."

Tight schedule between Ocean Race Europe and Transat

The 37-year-old sailing all-rounder, ski instructor and CrossFit teacher continues: "By taking part, I collect qualification points for the Vendée Globe. It's therefore an important goal to finish the race and get these points. I can also get to know the boat and concentrate on performance. The time between the end of the Ocean Race Europe and the start of the Transat Café L'Or is short, but we will do everything we can to get the boat ready and on the start line."

The last inshore race and the victory ceremony for the best in the Ocean Race Europe are scheduled for 21 September in Boka Bay in Montenegro. After that, Team Francesca Clapcich powered by 11th Hour Racing will only have 35 days until the Transat Café L'Or begins. During this time, the return transfer to Lorient, the flash refit including new branding of the Imoca and the transfer to Le Havre to the regatta harbour for the Transat must be completed.

"Between the Waves" is a film about Francesca Clapcich that 11th Hour Racing released last year. It shows the top sailor in her different worlds: