Francesca Clapcich on 11th Hour Racing finishes 5th in the 1000 Race
by Team Francesca Clapcich 8 May 17:01 PDT
8 May 2026
Francesca Clapcich on 11th Hour Racing finishes 5th in the 1000 Race © Maud Helfgott - polaRYSE / 11th Hour Racing
Italian-American offshore sailor Francesca Clapcich has finished her first solo IMOCA race in fifth place, after a five day, light-wind battle around the Bay of Biscay.
Clapcich sailed her 60-foot foiling IMOCA, 11th Hour Racing, across the 1000 Race finish line in the Bay of Concarneau, Brittany, France, at 2245 CEST (2045 UTC) after 5 days, 10 hours, 45 minutes, and 45 seconds at sea.
The seven-boat fleet had set off on May 3 from Port-la-Forêt, Brittany, France, on a 1,200 nautical mile course to the Fastnet Rock off south west Ireland, before rounding two virtual waypoints in the Bay of Biscay, and then turning to the finish line in Concarneau.
On stepping off her boat, Clapcich said, "I'm feeling pretty tired, but what a good challenge that was! It was so close at times and there was little respite, it was just 'fight, fight, fight' all the time, particularly with Elodie [Bonafous] and Violette [Dorange]. They were both really fast and they sailed really well, and absolutely deserve their finish results. It's been amazing to race against such great competitors - what a cool race!"
Before leaving, Clapcich had shared that her goal was to make no big mistakes, make smart decisions, and finish the race, bringing both herself and the boat back in one piece.
"That was a massive learning curve and I know that there is still a lot to learn, but I want to take the mistakes and learn from them, and also keep the good things from this, my first race," Clapcich shared. "The boat is pretty much in the same state as when I left the dock a few days ago and keeping it in one piece was a priority. I did clean maneuvers, I didn't have any major issues with the boat, and I was really consistent with how I was managing myself onboard. So all in all, I'm really happy."
Pifou Dargnies, Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing’s Technical Director commented, “The aim of this race was not only to finish, but to be in the game, and that’s exactly what Francesca did; she fought from the beginning to the end.
“This was her very first solo IMOCA race and she drove her own strategy, she didn’t follow the rest of the fleet, but was always offensive, trying to overtake the other boats and you can really see her Olympic Games experience in her strategy. After some rest back home, she’ll be ready to take on the Vendée Arctique,” Dargnies concluded.
Clapcich’s completion of the 1000 Race qualifies her for the next race in the IMOCA Globe Series annual calendar of events - the equivalent of the World Championship of offshore sailing. Next up for the Park City, Utah resident will be the Vendée Arctique, a race from Les Sables d’Olonne, west France, up to the Arctic circle and back to the departure port. The race starts on June 7, 2026.
More information here.