The International SeaKeepers Society Named as Ocean Research Partner

Supporting Global Ocean Research Through Citizen Science

The International SeaKeepers Society, the global nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing oceanographic research, conservation, and education through collaboration between the boating community and the scientific world, will join the Clipper 2025-26 Round the World Yacht Race as its Official Ocean Research Partner, marking a significant collaboration to advance global marine science.

This partnership will see the Clipper Race fleet support vital research by carrying specialist data loggers on board each yacht. As the teams race 40,000 nautical miles around the globe, these devices will collect valuable ocean data for SeaKeepers’ research programmes, most notably, the Seabed 2030 Project.

The Seabed 2030 Project, a UN Ocean Decade Action initiative, aims to map the entire ocean floor by 2030. Each Clipper Race yacht equipped with SeaKeepers’ loggers will record bathymetric data, including depth, GPS, and time readings while underway.

Image: Data loggers being fitted onto each yacht by the Clipper Race and SeaKeepers team ahead of the Clipper 2025-26 Race Start.

The collected data will be analyzed by SeaKeepers scientists and contribute directly to the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map. Speaking on the partnership, Georgina Best, Head of Partnerships, Clipper Ventures noted:

The ocean is our racetrack and safeguarding it is fundamental to everything we do. Partnering with SeaKeepers allows us to turn our race route into something even more meaningful and will be the first time that research of this kind is carried out on such a global scale.

In addition to Seabed 2030, Race Crew members will have the opportunity, entirely on a voluntary basis, to participate in several SeaKeepers-supported citizen science initiatives, including:

• ORCA OceanWatchers: Tracking whales, dolphins, and porpoises to protect vital species.

• Eyesea: Mapping and reporting marine pollution through a mobile app to support cleaner oceans.

• Shark Sightings (The Shark Trust Project): Logging shark and ray encounters to aid global conservation research.

These initiatives require only a smartphone and enthusiasm, allowing Race Crew to make a tangible impact for marine science and conservation during their adventure.

This partnership underscores the shared mission of both the Clipper Race and The International SeaKeepers Society to better understand and protect the world’s oceans through collaboration, innovation, and action.

At SeaKeepers, we believe that meaningful ocean conservation relies on collaboration and collective action. Partnering with the Clipper Race allows us to connect with a truly global community of sailors who are uniquely positioned to witness the changes happening on our oceans firsthand.

-Jay Wade, Chairman, The International SeaKeepers Society

Together, we can highlight the urgent need for sustainable solutions while engaging and inspiring individuals around the world to take part in protecting our marine environment.

Over the course of eleven months, the Clipper Race teams will circumnavigate the globe while helping to advance scientific research that could make a lasting difference to ocean health.