The very first Clipper Race started on Wednesday 16 October 1996, with the eight-strong fleet of 60-foot yachts departing Plymouth, UK for the American port of Fort Lauderdale via Madeira. The inaugural race’s route took in ports including the Galapagos, Hawaii, Yokohoama, Salvador and the Azores before returning to Plymouth on 14 September 1997.

The second edition of the Clipper Race started in October 1998 and it was a young skipper named Alex Thomson, who set about setting down race records, which currently still stand to this day. Still the youngest skipper to win the overall race, aged 25, Alex and his crew on board Arial also collected six consecutive race wins, a record which is yet to be equalled or beaten.

The third edition of the race saw the UK newspaper, The Times sign up as title sponsor, renaming the race to: The Times Clipper 2000 Race. Starting from Portsmouth, the eight-strong fleet raced to Havana, Cuba via Vilamoura in the first stage, won by the Plymouth team entry.

The final race from Jersey to Portsmouth was a short one, providing a grandstand finish for spectators and media alike. And what a finish they had with Jersey, Bristol and London all fighting for overall honours. It was Bristol, skippered by Bob Beggs, who ensured victory, becoming the first team to claim The Times Clipper Race Trophy.

Liverpool played host to the start of the Clipper Race for the first time during the 2002-03 edition, the fourth and final race for the Clipper 60s fleet. Race Start day bought with it one of the worst storms Liverpool had experienced, forcing the Race Committee to postpone the start by 24 hours.

The eight Clipper 60 yachts would retire after this edition of the race, making way for the second fleet of ocean racing yachts, the Clipper 68s.

“Being the final circumnavigation on the original Clipper Race fleet was very emotional, almost the end of an era. We knew a new fleet of boats was being commissioned but had no idea how they would look. So for us, the Clipper 60s are the original and best yachts.” - David Cusworth

The Clipper 2005-06 Race was a race of firsts.

It was the introduction of the second fleet of Clipper Race yachts, the Clipper 68s, and the first circumnavigation of the series, which raced from east to west.

2005-06 saw Guo Chuan become the first Chinese crew member to take part in the race on board Qingdao, during the Olympic Sailing City’s first entry in the Clipper Race.

The Clipper 2007-08 Race once again started from Liverpool and saw the ten Clipper 68s complete the fleet’s second circumnavigation.

It was the New York team, skippered by Duggie Gillespie, who claimed the Clipper Race trophy, securing ten podium finishes out of a possible 14.

The 2007-08 edition also visited the Chinese Sailing City of Qingdao ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, racing north from Singapore.

Hull, Yorkshire played host to the start of the Clipper 2009-10 Race and delivered an unforgettable departure ceremony for the crew members taking part.

On board the homeport boat, Hull & Humber was round the world crew member, Della Parsons.

“We were tested time and time again during the whole race – a crash with another boat on the start line in Cape Town, rendering a hole to the water line and a ten-day delay for our Southern Ocean adventure.

The scene of the Clipper Race fleet leaving Southampton, followed by the Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Illustrious, marked a unique start to the 2011-12 race.

It would be the last time the Clipper 68 fleet would circumnavigate the globe, with the brand new Clipper 70s quietly waiting in the wings to take over.

Gold Coast Australia, skippered by Richard Hewson, would continue the tread of Australian dominance by claiming overall victory, with an impressive 12 victories out of a possible 15.

The Clipper 2013-14 Race saw the debut of the brand new 70-foot yachts, which would see the overall crew participating in the ninth edition of the race to over 650.

An unforgettable departure from London was laid on for the crew taking part with thousands lining the River Thames to wave off the fleet.

It was Henri Lloyd who would claim overall victory in the 2013-14 race, skippered by the race’s first ever Canadian skipper, Eric Holden.

The Clipper 2015-16 Race marked the twentieth anniversary of the inaugural edition of the race and once again started from St Katharine Docks, London.

Olivier Cardin of LMAX Exchange skippered his team to victory, narrowly beating Derry~Londonderry~Doire by just four points.

This was the biggest event yet in the eleven editions of the race; a total of 712 crew representing 41 different nationalities, including first-time appearances for Uruguay, the Cayman Islands and Peru, took part in the full 40,000 nautical mile, eleven-month circumnavigation.

There were also firsts in terms of Host Ports, with Punta del Este in Uruguay, and Sanya in China making their debuts on the global race circuit.

After being bid farewell by over 200,000 spectators at Race Start in Liverpool, the novice Clipper Race crew soon developed into true ocean racers as they crossed six oceans. Making history, the event was won by Skipper Wendy Tuck on Sanya Serenity Coast, becoming the first ever woman to win a round the world yacht race.

Tanzania, Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Martinique, Saudi Arabia and Slovakia, seven nationalities represented for the first time ever on the Clipper 2019-20 Race.   

With 145 points, it was the ten points clear Qingdao team that took victory in the overall standings. The team representing the Chinese sailing city of the same name won five races in the 2019-20 edition, more than any other team. Qingdao graced the podium eight times, scooping a top three position in over half of the fourteen total races in the global event. 

Skipper Chris Brooks said: “You see the joy on everyone’s faces and you think, wow I contributed to making that happen. It’s a real privilege.” 

This was the eighth edition the city of Qingdao has partnered with the Clipper Race and marked an eighteen-year legacy.  

The 2023-24 edition was certainly a race to greatness. The intrepid Race Crew for this edition were one the most diverse bunches yet, welcoming 50 nationalities, speaking 45 languages and ticking off over 350 careers. Six brand new Host Port destinations also dropped a pin on the race route: Puerto Sherry, Spain, Newcastle, Australia, Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam, Zhuhai, China, Washington, DC, USA and Oban, UK.  

Racing wise, it was a nail-biter from start to finish, with everything to play for until the very last minute. It was Skipper Bob Beggs, accompanied by his First Mate Cameron McCracken and Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam team, that took the overall top spot after the team had a cracking race, topping the podium a fantastic four times and stacking up the bonus points with six Ocean Sprint wins.