Sailing Around the World and Into Washington, DC (Where You Can Greet Clipper Race Crews)
Followers of the 40,000-mile Clipper Round the World Yacht Race may know a few things: 1) this race is open to all, 2) you may do one or more legs of the eight-leg race, or all of it; and 3) the Clipper Race will have a stopover in Washington, DC, June 18-20 at Fleet Week at the Wharf. With this upcoming stopover in mind, we had a chance to interview Ella Hebron, skipper of Team Washington DC, who was in Seattle following a month-long race leg across the Northern Pacific from Korea.
How it all began
Although she’s British, Hebron’s first sailing experience took place on the Chesapeake Bay. She says, “I was probably 10 years old or younger. A family friend got married, and we took a boat from the wedding to the reception. I still remember someone raising the sail and me standing in awe on this sailing boat.”
Hebron started sailing in Eastbourne, England, in dinghies—RS Fevas and 29ers—and spent a few years racing small boats before getting involved in yacht racing out of Portsmouth and Southhampton.
“I started doing inshore and offshore races out of the Solent, 120- to 150-mile races or longer.”
She also started to work in the marine industry. One of those positions was with Oyster Yachts for which she did longer ocean passages/deliveries. She went from the UK to the Mediterranean and back and did a transatlantic passage from Las Palmas in the Canary Islands (Spain) to Antigua.
“When I was racing, I wanted to get into ocean racing. I learned about the Clipper Race, and it seemed accessible, so I signed on as crew.”
Then, Covid hit and delayed the trip. In two years’ time, Hebron had made the transition into professional sailor. When the Clipper opportunity surfaced again, her mentor from the Magenta Project and Clipper Race skipper, Nikki Henderson, encouraged her to become a first mate instead of crew. Hebron served as a first mate in the 2024-25 edition of the race and was promoted to skipper for the 2025-26 race. She runs the vessel with first mate Faith Nordbruch from the Isle of Wight, UK.
Training for the Clipper Race
For skippers, first mate, and crew, the training programs are extensive. The pros running the race vessels (72-foot Clipper RX racer) train for five months, six months before racing starts.
Hebron summarizes it: “We learn about the company, do leadership training, work with the skippers, and learn coaching methods. We do a month of training on the boat—the rigs and systems. (Onboard) training includes learning how you and your skipper work, how the boats work, how we do things on the boat from watch systems to cooking.”
Crew training is an intense month-long program. No matter your sailing level, you go through the same program. The first week is an introduction to sailing onboard: “a really, really intense week,” says Hebron.
The second week involves practicing what you’ve learned over and over again. “You go offshore and stay offshore, learning about the intricacies of sailing and living offshore.”
The next week is for spinnaker and downwind sailing as well as sea survival and safety, and on the last week, you spend time with your skipper. “You’ll learn how your skipper wants things done. You race the last two days.”
When asked if there are surprises once crew members are onboard for the actual race, Hebron says, “I don’t think you can really set people up to sail across the ocean until they’re offshore. They learn the relentlessness of being offshore. They’re tired and wet but still have to change the sail, do other tasks on deck, or cook. Every person sees every task differently and we all have our strengths.”
Knowing that for each leg, there are newcomers—“leggers” for sailors doing a leg or more or “round the worlders” for those doing the whole circumnavigation—we asked what challenges arose around that.
“We started with eight ‘round-the-worlders’ and now have four. Sometimes people realize it’s not for them, or they get injured. The round-the-worlders help to integrate the leggers. It’s an ongoing process. The leggers do bring fresh energy to each leg, and it’s helpful for a tired crew.”
The big one and other lifelong memories
How was the last leg of the race? “It’s a big one—32 days offshore! It’s a long time in the Northern Pacific—renowned for its relentlessness… We probably spent 80 percent of this leg going upwind, which is unusual and uncomfortable. We were heeled over, slamming into waves—which is great for sailing but tricky for life down below. It’s relentless. But not many people get to sail across the North Pacific; it’s a huge accomplishment and very rewarding. It’s humongous achievement!”
Now having raced for well over half of the overall race, we asked if Hebron had any memories from any leg that would stay with her for life.
“On Leg 4 from Fremantle to Airlie Beach, Australia (3400 miles), two days out one of our crew broke his shoulder. We had to med evac him so that he could get surgery. By the time we got back on track, we were 500 miles behind the others. We had a lot of wind holes. The team pushed as hard as we could—we ended up in eighth place out of 10, so we picked off two boats. Everyone was so proud of coming back like that; it was an immense achievement.”
The team had another tough sail on Leg 2: “800 miles from Cape Town, we hit a whale and broke one of our rudders, so we only had steerage on one tack. We had to retire from racing and nurse the boat. We were sailing in 75 knots of wind yet trying to keep the boat flat.. this realigned our whole team goal. It was now about getting the boat and everyone onboard to shore safely.”
What does Hebron miss most when she’s offshore? “Being home with my dogs… I’m dying to take a shower and have a beer, but I miss the dogs the most.”
Does she have advice for sailors intrigued by the Clipper Race? “Come to DC for the stopover to speak to the crew and learn about their experiences. Go and do something amazing!”
Experience Ocean Racing… in Annapolis!
Visit the Events DC booth (Tent B14) at the Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show (April 24-26) for a virtual reality experience of the Clipper Race… Sail around the world from Annapolis… and stay dry! See you there.
The DC stopover
This is the second year Events DC is sponsoring a yacht and host port. Events DC is the sports and convention authority for the nation's capital, hosting meetings, entertainment, sporting, and cultural events that showcase the best of Washington DC for visitors from across the city and around the world.
Visit the web page to learn more about the stopover festivities (June 18-20): Events DC Presents Clipper Race Fleet Week at the Wharf. There will be public yacht tours, discovery talks, boat parades, family friendly activities, and more. Stay tuned for more information in SpinSheet.
Find a story about a SpinSheet writer who did a Clipper race leg and another about our editor sailing onboard in NYC.
