Welsh skippers return after epic Round the World Clipper Race

TWO professional Welsh skippers are back home after leading teams of everyday people on a 40,000 nautical mile, 11-month sailing race around the world.

Abergavenny Skipper Gav Rees and his ‘London Business School’ team achieved second place overall, while Pembrokeshire Skipper Lou Boorman’s ‘Team Tongyeong’ came fifth, with only 13 points separating the two teams in a close-run finish.

The Clipper Race is the only event of its kind that trains everyday people to sail around the world on ten identical racing yachts. The race is split into eight legs, with Race Crew choosing to take on one, multiple or all eight of the legs.

Lou Boorman and Gav Rees (now living in Hertfordshire) arrived back into Portsmouth Harbour, where they departed last August (2025), and emotions ran high on the docks in Gunwharf Quays Marina as families and friends were reunited.

Speaking on arrival in Portsmouth, 24-year-old Haverfordwest Skipper Lou Boorman said: “What a welcome! It's really weird. I can't really put words to how I feel, it hasn't sunk in yet. The welcome was amazing - the boats, the fireworks! I am so so proud of the crew and what a special way to celebrate for them - we have raced around the world!!

“I’ve not taken stock yet, I’ve not let myself accept it yet but I am really proud of the crew. I couldn’t be prouder to be their skipper!”

Speaking about the highlights, she cited the team’s win in their home port of Tongyeong, South Korea, as a stand-out moment but for Lou, watching her non-professional crew develop was the best part. She said: “The crew, the way they have improved, the crew who went the full way around the world have really developed and I can trust them with my life.”

Unlike any other round-the-world sailing events, the Clipper Race is open to everyday people. Around 40 percent of participants begin with no previous sailing experience before completing intensive training and taking on one of the toughest endurance challenges on the planet.

During the course of the global race route, teams crossed the Equator twice, completed six ocean crossings and faced everything from storm-force winds and towering waves to intense heat, freezing temperatures, lightning storms and relentless squalls. Life on board meant racing 24 hours a day in rotating watch systems, often spending up to a month at sea without stepping ashore.

The Clipper Race demands resilience, teamwork and determination from people who are bold enough to step away from everyday life to pursue something extraordinary. Crew members include teachers, doctors, farmers, tattoo artists, engineers, students and retirees.

Founded by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo, non-stop around the world, the Clipper Race is the only event of its kind that trains people from all walks of life to become ocean racers. Following four weeks of mandatory training, many participants leave with more offshore sailing miles than most professional sailors accumulate in a lifetime.

The next edition of the Clipper Race, the 2027-28 edition, will get underway from the UK in summer 2027, with applications now open for future race crew to take part. Visit clipperroundtheworld.com for more information about how to take part.