After over six days at sea, Italian/American offshore sailor Francesca Clapcich and her teammates onboard Malizia–Seaexplorer crossed the finish line of the Course des Caps – Boulogne-sur-Mer – Banque Populaire du Nord, the first-ever IMOCA race around Great Britain and Ireland.

The team completed the 2,000 nautical mile [2,301 mile | 3,704 kilometer] race in 6 days, 6 hours, 4 minutes, and 26 seconds, racing on one of offshore sailing’s most dynamic courses, in a clockwise route around the British Isles. Onboard with Clapcich was Skipper Will Harris, and Co-Skippers Cole Brauer, Julien Villion, and Onboard Reporter Flore Hartout, making Team Malizia one of the most international crews on the IMOCA circuit.

Throughout the race Clapcich shared helm time, trimming, navigation, and onboard decision-making with her teammates. “It was definitely intense, as expected,” said Clapcich on arrival. “It’s a super fun course, but conditions were tricky. We had very light winds at the beginning, which meant lots of transitions, sail changes, and constant maneuvers. Toward the end, we had to short tack around the TSS [Traffic Separation Scheme], which kept everyone sharp. The crew was absolutely amazing, I had a really good time and learned a lot more about the boat. We ended up finishing fourth and we fought hard all the way - pushing all the time to reach first - but in the end, we held our position and stayed ahead of some great teams.

“The most incredible part was seeing how the boat performs downwind in strong winds and rough seas. I hadn't been in conditions like that for a while, and to feel so comfortable onboard was really impressive. The boat might not be the fastest in every condition, but when it clicks - it’s amazing. Some of the guys were joking, saying, ‘You’ll have a great time in the Southern Ocean in a few years!’ And honestly, I think they might be right!” concluded Clapcich.

Team Malizia was led by Britain’s Will Harris, who commented, “We shared some unforgettable days together on the boat. The competition was fierce right from the start, and by the end, Charal were just 10 miles behind us at the finish. The leg around Scotland was particularly challenging, with some heavy storms to test us all. Each day brought its own conditions, from light winds at the start, to moderate breezes past western Ireland, and finally strong winds near Scotland and towards the finish line at Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France. This first race for 2025 was a hard-fought, memorable battle we’ll be talking about for a long time.”

The Course des Caps was a key step in Clapcich’s transition toward being a full-time IMOCA skipper, as she prepares to take over Malizia-Seaexplorer in October 2025 after The Ocean Race Europe. Clapcich earns 37.5 points towards the IMOCA Globe Series Championship standings - the annual ‘World Championship’ for offshore racing, as Co-Skipper receiving 50% of the points awarded to registered Skipper Will Harris.

In line with Team Malizia’s long-standing commitment to ‘A Race We Must Win – Climate Action Now’, the boat carried its OceanPack scientific laboratory. The onboard system collected continuous real-time data on CO2, salinity, temperature, and oxygen levels, contributing to global ocean monitoring projects led by the Max Planck Institute and other science partners.

Clapcich’s next major race with Team Malizia will be The Ocean Race Europe from August 10 to September 21, 2025 - where she will sail four- of the five-leg dash around the continent, starting from Kiel, Germany, and finishing in Boka Bay, Montenegrao. She will then formally take over Malizia-Seaexplorer in October to launch her solo campaign as Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing.

Francesca Clapcich finishes 4th in the Course des Caps with Team Malizia

Course des Caps: race updates from onboard with Frankie!