Francesca Clapcich ready to race the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe

On Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 1302 CEST (1201 UTC) Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing will start the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, the final race of skipper Francesca Clapcich’s 2026 season. The Italian-American sailor, who is building towards her 2028 Vendée Globe ambition, will take on her first solo Atlantic crossing onboard her foiling 60-foot IMOCA, 11th Hour Racing: 3,542 nautical miles [6,560 kilometers] to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, with no one to share the watches, the maneuvers, or the decisions.

“The Route du Rhum is a huge milestone,” said Clapcich. “It’s not just another step towards the Vendée Globe, it’s a really important race in its own right. It is the objective of the season for our team, and we want to do well. We have to treat it as a major race, not just a box to tick.”

The Route du Rhum will be Clapcich’s third solo race in an IMOCA. She finished fifth in the first two: the 1000 Race in May and the Vendée Arctique-Les Sables d’Olonne in June, followed by a second place finish in the fully crewed Ocean Race Atlantic in September.

Speaking before departure, Clapcich, who will line up against 21 other IMOCA solo skippers said, “In a straight line, the boat’s performance is fairly similar whether you’re crewed or alone. But solo, you have to think about every maneuver: how long it’ll take, how long a sail change will cost you in time and speed. You need to reach the finish not fresh, but with some brain power left. Rounding Guadeloupe isn’t easy, and that’s where you can make big mistakes.”

After two Olympic campaigns and becoming the first Italian to win the fully crewed Ocean Race in 2023, sailing alone offshore was never Clapcich’s dream. “I love sailing in a crew. I love having other people onboard with me,” she said. “But it’s something I want to prove to myself: that I can do it, and do it well. I find that motivating. Exciting, even.”

Her results so far have put Clapcich at the top of the IMOCA Globe Series, the class’s annual world championship, where sailors score points for every race based on their finish position. Three races into the season, Clapcich leads with 356 points, 76 clear of current second-placed (and last year’s champion) Sam Goodchild (GBR/FRA). A top-six finish in Guadeloupe will secure her the 2026 title and she would become the first woman ever to win the coveted trophy.

“I don’t feel much pressure right now,” said Clapcich. “But I understand this is a big one. There’s something magic about it. But in the end, there’s a start line and a finish line. Everything else is just noise.”

Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing carries its mission on the water as much as off it: building a sailing community where belonging, diversity, and equity are not the exception, but the standard. The team’s purpose message, Believe, Belong, Achieve, is emblazoned on the boat’s sails and hull. 

Over the course of the ten-day build-up to the start, the team has opened its doors in Saint-Malo to more than 120 people from local community groups. Visitors included young people and job seekers exploring maritime careers, families supported by local social services and NGOs, women in remission from cancer, and young women from rural areas, as well as a tour conducted in sign language.

“I’ve been inspired by people throughout my life, especially other women, and sailors who have achieved amazing things with their own projects,” said Clapcich. “Now it’s my turn. I’m a pretty normal person. You might have nine doors closed in front of you but you only need one to open to make something amazing happen.”