Francesca Clapcich // The 1st Italian to Win The Ocean Race

Francesca Clapcich // The 1st Italian to Win The Ocean Race

From On the Wind Sailing by 59º North Sailing Podcasts

March 3, 2026 · 1h 11m · Episode 494

About this episode

Francesca Clapcich discusses her journey as the first Italian to win The Ocean Race and her future goals in sailing.

Francesca Clapcich is an Olympian, a world champion, and in 2023 became the first Italian to win The Ocean Race. She most recently skippered UpWind by MerConcept, an all-female Ocean Fifty trimaran campaign — and now, she's set her sights on the 2028 Vendée Globe with her title sponsor, 11th Hour Racing. We caught up back in July, while she was enjoying a few final weeks at home in Utah with her wife and daughter where she lives, before heading off to co-skipper four of the five legs of The Ocean Race Europe with Team Malizia. We spoke about starting new chapters, redefining success, and her mission to do more than just sail. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck , where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com . See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Offshore Passage Opportunities and Rutgerson Marin . Support the show by supporting our sponsors!

People in this episode

Guest: Francesca Clapcich

Topics covered

  • sailing
  • ocean racing
  • women in sports
  • Olympics
  • personal growth

Keywords

  • Francesca Clapcich
  • Ocean Race
  • sailing
  • Vendée Globe
  • women sailors

Sponsors

Offshore Passage Opportunities, Rutgerson Marin

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 11th Hour Racing, Team Malizia

Places: Utah

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