Francesca Clapcich to start first solo IMOCA race in the 1000 Race on Sunday

Maud Helfgott - polaRYSE / 11th Hour Racing

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. A fleet of seven boats will leave Port‑la‑Forêt, in Brittany, France, for a 1,000 nautical mile [1,150 mile | 1,852 kilometer] loop via the Fastnet Rock south of Ireland, finishing back in the start port roughly four days later.

Clapcich commented, “The race starts from Port‑la‑Forêt, just a stone’s throw from Lorient, so it almost feels like a home race. We’ll head up to the Fastnet Rock - a legendary landmark in sailing history - then down to the northern tip of Spain and Portugal, and back to where we started in the Bay of Concarneau. The Bay of Biscay can throw anything at you, especially at this time of year, and I’ll be ready for all of it.”

The ambition for Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing is simple: to bring both the boat and the skipper home in one piece. After an intense winter refit, performance upgrades, optimization for single-handed sailing, and unveiling completely new branding, along with the on-water training, the whole team is ready to get Clapcich’s 2026 solo racing calendar underway.

The 2026 edition of the 1000 Race features seven solo sailors all taking on the first IMOCA solo race of the year. Three of the entries have already completed the Vendée Globe - racing solo, non-stop, unassisted around the world - and all of them have an ambition to be on the startline of the 2028 edition. 

“There are definitely a few butterflies now, just a few days before the start of the Race,” said Clapcich. “The 1000 Race will be my first solo race on an IMOCA, which makes it extra special. I’ve had some great preparation these past few weeks, training alongside my competitors Elodie Bonafus and Violette Dorange with the Port‑la‑Forêt training centre, plus solid sessions with my own team working on solo maneuvers and really pushing the boat to her limits.

Julien Champolion - polaRYSE / 11th Hour Racing

“My goal is clear: make no big mistakes, make smart decisions, and finish the race - and for both the boat and myself to come back in one piece! It’s really important for me to build this experience early on in the season, so I can step up to harder and longer races as the year goes on,” Clapcich shared.

The 1000 Race [formerly the Bermudes 1000 Race] is the first chapter in a packed solo season that includes the Vendée Arctique-Les Sables d’Olonne in early June and the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe in November. In between these races is The Ocean Race Atlantic, the fully-crewed race from New York, USA, to Lorient, France.

On and off the water, Francesca’s mission goes beyond results: building a sailing community where belonging, diversity, and equality are not the exception, but the standard.

Clapcich commented, “I’m excited and proud for the whole team that we are finally going racing.

“Thanks to 11th Hour Racing, we have this incredible new livery which shares our message about our ambition to live in a world where everyone can Believe, Belong, and Achieve. Both on and off the water our campaign is about believing in yourself and being whoever you are, feeling you belong and can be your authentic self, and achieving together as a community. This race is our first opportunity to really show the world that we stand by these values which we display on our sails.

“The team has worked incredibly hard to get both the boat and myself ready, and I want to make them proud. As we say in Italian - Andiamo! - let’s go!”