AFTER 11 months sailing 45,000 nautical miles around the globe, victory in the Clipper Round the World sailing race came down to a single point for the Wye Valley’s Eric Froggatt and crew mates.  

Starting in Portsmouth last September, his Ha Long Bay Vietnam boat finally sailed home on July 27 to be welcomed by wife Lisa, after an epic and exhausting voyage encompassing the wildest seas, extremes of heat and cold and natural wonders.    

Eric Froggatt with his Clipper Round the World winner's pennant and circumnavigation medal
Eric Froggatt with his Clipper Round the World winner's pennant and circumnavigation medal (Beacon)

And after winning four of the eight legs in the 11-strong fleet of boats, skippered by a professional with amateur crews, to take the ultimate prize, the Monmouth Rowing Club member said: “It was hard, but an absolute privilege. 

“My grandad sailed the Atlantic convoys with the Royal Navy and didn’t see his wife, who was being bombed in Malta, for years – it was nothing compared to that!

“I chose to take on the challenge, and while I won’t do it again, it was incredibly rewarding.”

Ha Long Bay raced to victory in the Clipper Round the World race
Ha Long Bay raced to victory in the Clipper Round the World race. Photo: Clipper Round World Race (Clipper Round the World Race)

Inspired by seeing sailors in their oil skins “come from who knows where” on childhood holidays in Falmouth, and after years rowing, he signed up for a sea sailing course in 2010, and then raced the Clipper Pacific leg in 2018.  

“Then I was 50, in the midst of selling my interest in Monmouth-based business Siltbuster, and was thinking about the whole circumnavigation.

Eric celebrated his birthday by sailing a huge 345nm in one day
Eric celebrated his birthday by sailing a huge 345nm in one day (Eric Froggatt)

“I thought it’s now or never, and started speaking to those who’d done it, picking their brains. ‘It’s in there’, said one, pointing to her head, “you must or you’ll regret it”.”

Covid delayed the trip for two years, but the race finally set off on September 3, 2023, from Portsmouth to Cadiz and onto Uruguay.

The Ha Long Bay crew celebrate victory
The Ha Long Bay crew celebrate victory (Clipper Race)

“We were second to last in South America,” said Eric. “And then on to Cape Town we experienced fog, no wind and the eerie sound of a pod of sleeping whales we couldn’t see, before a lightning storm hit the mast, smashing the wind instrument, which left us last.

“It actually sharpened our skills, making us feel the boat though, and stood us in a good stead later, while we realised the boat was too heavy with supplies and we’d been too cautious with sail selection, so those early setbacks proved invaluable.

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The finish of the Clipper 2023-24 Round the World Yacht Race.

A multinational crew of non-professional sailors have completed the last race of their eleven-month and 40,000 nautical mile Clipper Round the World Yacht Race circumnavigation and arrived in Portsmouth to a heroes’ welcome. 
The eleven strong fleet paraded on the Solent during the Grand Finale event with the teams being cheered into Gunwharf Quays marina before being reunited with loved ones.  

The event was won by the Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam team, with its Skipper Bob Beggs being the first sailing professional to win the Clipper Race twice. Also on the podium in second place was the Perseverance team, skippered by Ineke van der Weijden – who is the only skipper to have first competed on the event as crew (in 2017-18). The Zhuhai team took the third podium spot – with Southampton Skipper James Finney sailing into his home waters of the Solent.
The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is one of the toughest endurance challenges on the planet. This unique event sees teams battle extreme conditions as they race around the globe in a true test of fortitude and determination.  
The Clipper Race is the only event of its kind which trains people from all walks of life to become ocean racers, and many have no previous sailing experience before signing up for the intensive four levels of training prior to racing. Led by a professional Skipper and First Mate, Race Crew can complete the full eleven month circumnavigation or choose to test themselves on one or multiple legs.  

The Grand Finale celebrated the achievement of the 700 crew who competed in the event over eight legs. 72 of the crew are (non-professional) circumnavigators, who put careers such as tattoo artist, doctor and dairy farmer on hold to sail around the world. 
 
The Clipper 2023-24 Race began in Portsmouth on 3 September 2023 and has stopped in Puerto Sherry (Spain), Punta del Este (Uruguay), Cape Town (South Africa), Fremantle, Newcastle and Airlie Beach (Australia), Ha Long Bay (Vietnam), Zhuhai and Qingdao (China), Seattle and Washington, DC (United States), Oban (Scotland) and finally back to Portsmouth.
The Clipper overall winners parade of sail led by Ha Long Bay. Photo: imagecomms (imagecomms)

“We also had eight on board circumnavigating, and that tight core, working to integrate new crew members, also helped.”

Under skipper Josh Strickland, they entered the Southern Ocean headed for western Australia – the Roaring 40s – and took a risk going down to the 45th Parallel, just above the iceberg zone.

But it paid off as they raced in to Fremantle some three days clear of most boats, despite losing the mast track which meant they couldn’t change the main sail.

Ha Long Bay. Clipper Round The World Race 2023-24. Fremantle, Western Australia.
Ha Long Bay sails to victory (Clipper Race)

“We had time to rest and prepare and on the return to Newcastle north of Sydney, we won again,” said Eric.

“We were also picking up sprint points through virtual scoring gates, and won more than double any other boat, which proved invaluable.”

On to Airlie Beach and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, the sponsors of their boat, they stayed in contention and were treated like royalty, before heading to Zhuhai in China, a short strategic race, where they won again.

Former Royal Marine Bob Beggs then took over as skipper, and Eric said: “We were very tired after seven months, but he gave us a new burst of energy ahead of the Pacific.”

The northern Pacific race to Qingdao then saw wild and freezing seas.

Tough going in heavy seas for Eric Froggatt and crew mates
Tough going in heavy seas for Eric Froggatt and crew mates. Photo: Eric Froggatt (Eric Froggatt)

“It was the hardest leg, upwind, only 10 days, but a constant battle, like being in a washing machine, you felt beaten up. The boat’s at 45 degrees, and even going to the loo was an ordeal!” he added.

“Then it was 6,000 miles across the ocean to Seattle, with only 14 on board, and we had to run three watches of four on deck, though Bob said it made us leaner.

“At one point we led by 300 miles – we did 345 NM on my birthday – and were surfing down  waves at over 20 knots, which was thrilling.

A head for heights for Eric Froggatt
A head for heights for Eric Froggatt (Clipper Race)

“But we lost the speaker and radio antennae as one crashed over us, and I was thrown by a huge wave and fell about eight foot, breaking my ribs, which kept me off deck for four days.

“I had to get back to it, though, but it was tough taking the helm in Force 11 winds and wild seas, which is really physical anyway.

“They were the worst seas, 10m high waves, and I had the hardest night I’ve had on a boat, but you hang on, it’ll pass. I pretty much collapsed from the effort when we arrived.”

Ha Long Bay sails into Seattle
Ha Long Bay sails into Seattle (Round the World Clipper Race)

But victory to Seattle and double points through playing their joker saw them top the leaderboard.

Through the Panama Canal to Washington they were fifth, but beat everyone on points by winning sprints to stay top.

Then it was back across the Atlantic to Oban finishing third, where nearest rivals Perseverance played their joker and won, leaving just three points in it.

It all came down to the last leg back to Portsmouth, where finishing two places behind their rivals in the middle of the pack secured the title by a single point.

“We put up a massive cheer just before the line, and felt incredible coming in to port, that deep satisfaction of circumnavigating the globe and topping it off with the win,” said Eric.

And a standout memory from the voyage?

“My grandad remembered seeing an albatross flying just inches above the waves, and I saw one too, with an eight-foot wingspan. It was beyond majestic, and a beautiful way of connecting with him.”