Round The World Clipper Fleet Returns to Freo in December

The 14th Clipper Round the world Yacht Race is returning to Fremantle from 5-10 December 2025, as part of its 2025-26 Edition.

Fremantle will act as Host Port and Stopover for the sixth time.

Ten Clipper Yachts will arrive from Cape Town, after a gruelling 5,000 nautical mile leg crossing the ‘Roaring Forties’, having completed Leg 3.

Fremantle Yacht Club will provide berths for the yachts during their stay.

Here are a selection of photos from the 2023 event.

And you’ll find our coverage of the 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023 Clipper visits to Freo right here.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston founded the biennial circumnavigation challenge in 1996. He was the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world in 1968-69. His vision was to give ordinary people the chance to do something truly extraordinary and to make ocean racing accessible to people from all walks of life — not just professional sailors. The first race set sail in October 1996 with a fleet of eight 60-foot yachts.

It is one of the most unique and challenging ocean races on the planet. It’s a 40,000 nautical mile race around the globe, broken into multiple legs, and is designed for amateur sailors – many of whom have never sailed before joining the race. Participants must undertake a four-level training program before setting sail.

The race visits multiple continents and major international ports over the course of 8 legs and 11 months. The route includes extreme conditions: from the roaring Southern Ocean to the sweltering Doldrums and the North Pacific.

Each boat has a professional skipper and a first mate, but the crew is made up of everyday people who undergo intensive training before the race.

Participants can sign up for one or more legs or do an entire circumnavigation.

The race now uses a fleet of identical high-performance Clipper 70 yachts, designed for speed and safety. This levels the playing field—success depends on the crew’s teamwork, tactics, and endurance, not technology.

Taking part in the Clipper Race is more than a sailing competition. I know several people who have taken part and they all admit it is a life-changing experience, testing mental and physical limits, forging lifelong bonds, and raising money for charities.

I’ve completed lots of offshore races myself. People romanticize the sailing life and yes there is plenty to love, but there is discomfort too – jolting awake in the middle of the night to assist with a sail change, the dampness from saltwater, living in tight quarters, seasickness during a rough seas, days of being soaked to the bone . . . but even with the discomforts, it is a fabulous experience.

It’s always emotional watching the yachts arrive, and family embracing their loved ones who have safely completed a leg, having battled the elements and crossed oceans.

Australia’s Wendy Tuck became the first female skipper to win the clipper Race and any round-the-world yacht race in 2018. Nikki Henderson (UK), also a skipper in this race, finished second.

The 2019-20 Race was halted due to the COVID pandemic in March 2020, with many sailors returning after a two-year pause to complete their circumnavigation. Over 5,000 people from 40+ countries have taken part. Participants range from 18 to 70 years old.

The 2025-26 Race kicks off 31 August 2025 from Portsmouth, UK and will have stops in Spain, Uruguay and South Africa before arriving in Fremantle. Leg 4 begins from Fremantle and ends on the east coast, spanning Christmas and New Year at sea. Then it’s on to China, Korea, the USA and Scotland.

During the Clipper Yachts stay at Fremantle Yacht Club, there will be plenty of public events, including vessel tours, crew meet-and-greets, prize giving, and welcome sausage sizzles.

Fremantle has a huge sailing legacy, especially since hosting the 1987 America’s Cup and serving as a regular stopover for elite global yacht races.

Fremantle is set to become a global sailing hub in coming months with the Clipper Race stopover in December and SailingGP in January 2026.

By the way – there are still some Clipper crew opportunities; no sailing background is needed. Fast-track sessions for specific lags are still available for Legs 2-8! Otherwise you’ll be able to soak up the action, visit the yachts and chat with crew after they arrive.

Rest assured, Fremantle Shipping News will be there to report on all the action.

* Story and photographs by Jean Hudson @jeansodyssey.

Jean is our Shipping and Sailing Correspondent and also a regular feature writer and photographer here on the Shipping News. You may also like to follow up her informative Places I Love stories, as well as other feature stories and Freo Today photographs, right here.

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