Meet the skippers for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 2025-26

Angela Brandsma | Dutch | 60,000 nm
Raised on the lakes of Sneek, Angela has crossed oceans eight times since taking up big-boat sailing after a personal tragedy. Now back as a Clipper Race Skipper after first mating in 2019-20, she’s ready to “share this adventure with people from all walks of life.”
Fun fact: She can also teach you to dive, snowboard, and ski.

David Sautret | French | 30,000+ nm
From Bordeaux to the Mini Transat, David has raced everything from high-performance monohulls to catamarans. He’s chasing his circumnavigation dream and “forging a tight-knit, resilient team spirit” along the way.
Fun fact: Windsurfing was his gateway to life under sail.

Dylan Kotze | South African | 35,000 nm
RYA instructor, commercial diver, and Cape Town native, Dylan has taught everything from crew basics to ocean master level. He’s aiming to “shape a team built on camaraderie and fulfilment” and he can’t wait to sail into his home port on Leg 2.
Fun fact: Active volunteer with South Africa’s National Sea Rescue Institute.

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Ella Hebron | British | 60,000 nm
From flotilla holidays to First Mate on the Clipper 2023-24 Race, Ella’s journey started at 14 with a dream: to skipper the race. Her focus? “Kindness, respect, unity and racing hard.”
Fun fact: Former RS Feva youth squad sailor turned professional yacht racer.

Gavin Rees | Welsh | 35,000+ nm
HR leader by day, racer by passion. Gavin was inspired by a school visit from Sir Robin Knox-Johnston himself. Now, he’s following in the legend’s wake: “It’s about building people and showing my daughters that dreams are worth chasing.”
Fun fact: His first sailing inspiration? A prize from Sir Robin in school!

Guy Waites | British | 150,000 nm
Golden Globe veteran, solo Cape Horn sailor, and a double Clipper Race Skipper, Guy returns with ocean grit and tactical nous. “There’s nothing like the Roaring Forties or endless ocean horizons,” he says.
Fun fact: Five solo Atlantic crossings under his belt.

Oliver Irvine | Northern Irish | 40,000+ nm
From the Solent to the Tasman Sea, Oliver brings global experience and a cool head to the helm. A familiar face, instructor in the RYA Fast Track Training Programme, training and mentoring students, he’s skippered Levels 1–3 training and was part of a team in the 2025 Round the Island Race.
Fun fact: Started sailing at 16 and once mentored future skippers on the RYA Fast Track course.

Lou Boorman | British | 40,000+ nm (est.)
Champion dinghy racer turned offshore adventurer, Lou was the youngest skipper to race Round Britain and Ireland. Now she’s taking her talents global. “Sailing gives people magic in the stars, the storms, the silence.”
Fun fact: Fluent in Welsh and has sailed the Arctic Circle.

Philip Quinn | Irish | 40,000+ nm
Ex-police officer turned globetrotting sailor, Philip is back after skippering Qingdao in the 2023-24 edition. “This time, I’m here from the start to finish what I began.”
Fun fact: Veteran of two Fastnets and four Clipper Race Training levels.

Heather Thomas | British | 100,000+ nm
From Leeds lakes to circumnavigation victory, Heather became the youngest British female skipper to win an around-the-world race with Maiden. A full-circle moment for her: “I’m here to empower my team just like my skipper once did for me.”

Fun fact: She began sailing thanks to a bursary in the Clipper 2015-16 Race.

Look out for next weeks article on the race start in Portsmouth