In January 2024, Francesca joined forces with 11th Hour Racing, the international organization based in Newport, Rhode Island, which advocates for sustainability and ocean health globally, through solution-oriented initiatives for a more inclusive and sustainable future. Together, they are working to create a just future where people can believe in themselves, belong in an equitable and sustainable world, and achieve their dreams.
Profile
Italian by birth, but residing in Utah, USA, Francesca Clapcich is a professional sailor, Olympic athlete, outdoor enthusiast, and a mother.
She is one of the world’s most versatile professional sailors, and is one of a handful of athletes to have competed in multiple disciplines at the highest levels of the sport. She represented Italy at both the London (finishing 19th) and Rio (finishing 5th) Olympic Games in the Laser and 49erFX classes respectively, she was the first Italian woman to compete in the Solitaire du Figaro, and has raced around the world twice in The Ocean Race, becoming the first Italian to win the notoriously challenging marathon in the 2022-23 edition with the US entry, 11th Hour Racing.
She is the very first female skipper to compete in the Ocean Fifty Series, leading the all-female team UpWind by MerConcept, and competed in the Puig Women’s America’s Cup for American Magic in October 2024. In 2025, Clapcich secured a historic second place in the IMOCA Class in the Transat Café L'OR double-handed transatlantic race, sailing with British co-skipper Will Harris and becoming the first Italian and American female sailor to reach the podium in one of the most prestigious ocean races. Her next big goal is to compete in the 2028 Vendée Globe, sailing solo and non-stop around the planet.
Achievements
11th Hour Racing
- Architect: VPLP
- shipyard: 2022, Multiplast
- Launch: 19/07/2022
- Former name: Malizia - Sea Explorer
- Length: 18,28m
- Width: NC
- Draught: 4,5m
- Mast height: 29m
- Upwind sail area: 270m²
- Downwind sail area: 550m²
Commitment
In both her professional and personal life, Francesca seeks solutions to inspire change and foster a community where diversity is celebrated, and equality is the norm, both on and off the water.
