Welsh sailor leads team of non-professionals in final ocean crossing of global yacht race

Nation.Cymru staff

A Welsh professional sailor and her non-professional crew have departed Washington, DC, USA, to make one final ocean crossing of their round-the-world adventure, setting course across the North Atlantic for Oban, Scotland.

Lou Boorman is taking part in the Clipper Race, which is unique in that it takes ordinary people and trains them to become ocean racers, with no previous sailing experience required.

A fleet of ten identical purpose-built Clipper Race yachts is led by a professional Race Skipper and First Mate, with up to 22 non-professional Race Crew on board, racing around the clock for up to 30 days at a time. Race Crew can choose to take on one, a combination of, or all of the eight legs that form the 40,000nm global route.

Lou, from Haverfordwest, has been leading Team Tongyong, one of the ten Clipper Race teams that has been flying the flag for the South Korean city ever since the race got underway from Portsmouth last August.

Speaking ahead of the final race, Lou said: “It doesn’t feel quite real that we’ve nearly sailed around the world and are one hop across the ocean to home waters!

“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done! A huge challenge. We’ve had three podiums so far and are hungry for more.” (At time of going to press – Team Tongyeong is currently in the lead of current stage)

“After ten months of racing (and just over three weeks left) across some of the planet’s most challenging oceans, the final crossing will test the determination, teamwork, and seamanship of the non-professional sailors, their skippers and first mates, who have collectively become competitive ocean racing teams.

“In addition to the sailing and the conditions, the challenging part has been about people management and leadership. I’ve had to be a strong leader – that’s what my team expects and needs from me. So the development in this race is incredible.”

She adds: “I think it’s going to leave a big hole in my life – leaving this team and leaving the boat. I’m going to have to fill that gap in my life fairly quickly, I’ll miss it too much!

The route from Washington, DC to Oban is just over 3,000 nautical miles long and presents a unique blend of strategic navigation and offshore racing, with crews facing changing weather systems, strong Atlantic currents, and the unpredictable conditions that define ocean racing.

The arrival in Oban will mark a significant milestone in the race’s homeward stretch, bringing the fleet back to UK waters after a global adventure that has connected ports, cultures, and communities across multiple continents.

Oban will welcome the fleet from Friday 10th July for the second consecutive race edition with a full programme of events for the public to see the Clipper Race yachts, meet the race crew and professional skippers. From Oban, the teams will race for the final time of the 2025-26 edition to the finish port of Portsmouth on Saturday 25 July, where overall leaderboard positions will be crowned.

Although the 2025-26 edition may be coming to an end, applications are now open for the 2027-28 edition which will get underway next summer.