On May 3, 2026, Italian-American offshore sailor, Francesca Clapcich, will take the start of the 1000 Race - her very first solo race on an IMOCA.

Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing has unveiled its bold new racing livery after a four month winter refit. The striking new branding on the 60-foot sail boat has been created by Italian award-winning duo Van Orton Design - twin brothers Stefano and Marco Schiavon.

The 2026 racing calendar has been revealed! Four races, all based around the Atlantic Ocean, three solo and one fully crewed. It’s going to be a busy year for everyone in Team Frankie!

I am not going to share sailing stats, racing updates, or performance KPIs but an open letter for people to take and bring closer to their heart and find some introspection as we head into the holiday season

Will Harris shares his thoughts on what’s next for the 11th Hour Racing IMOCA, the challenges of hand-steering versus auto-pilot, and taking the learnings from this first race for the team forward into Francesca’s Vendée Globe campaign.

Co-skipper Will Harris shares his reflections on a race well sailed! With a top five finish as their goal before the start, the second placed in the Transat Café L’OR was a boost, thanks to preparation and sailing their own race.

A few days after the end of the Transat Café L’OR and Francesca has sat down to share what went through her mind at the start, her emotions at the finish, and what the next few months will bring.

With 600 miles to go to the finish of the Transat Café L’OR in Martinique and the fight is on for the podium positions. Frankie and Will are hand-steering to squeeze the maximum speed out of the boat.

Day 10 and the battle for the podium is well underway as Frankie and Will race towards Fort-de-France, Martinique in the Transat Café L’OR with a little over 1,000 nautical miles to go as of this morning.

Day 9 and the it has been a wild ride for Francesca and Will for the past 24-hours, averaging over 26 knots. Martinique is just three and a half days away as the duo battle to keep their hold on the podium.

Despite receiving a 30 minute penalty yesterday for breaking the seal of their liferaft, Francesca and Will are holding firmly onto third place in this double-handed battle across the Atlantic.

Overnight, during a long hitch out to the west under the Canary Islands, Jérémie Beyou and Morgan Lagravière on Charal drew level and then eased ahead of 11th Hour Racing to retake the lead on day seven. 

And the news from onboard 11th Hour Racing just keeps on coming as Francesca and Will are the first to the Canaries - a significant milestone in the Transat Café L’OR. But the next 24 hours are going to be tricky as they pick their way south.

Day 5 of the Transat Café L’OR and Francesca and Will onboard 11th Hour Racing have moved to the front of the fleet as they negotiate a tricky light-wind ridge on the approach to the Canary Islands.

Day 4 and the duo of Francesca Clapcich and Will Harris have risen to third on the tracker. It’s a beautiful morning and the last 24 hours have gone well for the crew onboard 11th Hour Racing.

It’s Day 3 of the Transat Café L’OR and Francesca and Will are maintaining their place in the lead pack of four boats. It’s a fast and furious downwind run down the Portuguese coast.

Day 2 of the Transat Café L’OR and Francesca and Will are in the leading pack of four boats in the IMOCA fleet, at one point over night moving up into second position. The sun is out and the mood is good onboard!

It was a tough first night for Francesca and Will onboard 11th Hour Racing, but they have done a brilliant job of keeping themselves and the boat in one piece through the night. Read the very first of our Transat Café L’OR Daily Race Reports by Ed Gorman here.

Follow all the action from the Transat Café L’OR here! We’ve got the tracker here, plus all the updates from the race course. Keep returning back here for daily updates, videos, photos, and news from Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing!

And they’re off! It’s finally here - Start Day for the Transat Café L’OR. Find out how things went for Francesca and Will as they set off on the 4,350 nautical mile race across the Atlantic from Le Havre, France to Martinique in the Caribbean.