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.    

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.”

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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.”

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.”