Plumber from Leicester takes second place in round the world yacht race
Bob Brown, a plumber from Leicester, has raced into second place overall in the Clipper 2025-26 Round the World Yacht Race; a 40,000 nautical mile sailing race around the world – despite having no sailing experience before signing up.
Image: Bob Brown (left), from Leicester, has spent eleven months circumnavigating the globe with the Clipper Race
The Clipper Race is the only event of its kind that trains everyday people to sail around the world on identical racing yachts. The race is split into eight legs, with Race Crew choosing to take on one, multiple or all eight of the legs.
Bob, who signed up to race around the world to mark his 60th birthday, raced back into Portsmouth eleven months after setting off last August, and emotions ran high on the docks as he met his nearly-one-year-old granddaughter for the first time.
Image: Crowds gathered on the dock in Portsmouth, UK, to welcome the Clipper Race back
Says Bob on arrival into Portsmouth: “We have just podiumed and come second overall, I am very proud of this and we have had a great Skipper and First Mate, and a great crew. I have circumnavigated, over the past 12 months of my life, including the prep weeks before the race left Portsmouth. It is an emotional return in different ways. We have goodbyes to say to people on the boat and big welcome-backs to those meeting us on land.”
Image: Bob Brown racing on board his team yacht, London Business School
Unlike any other round the world sailing races, the Clipper Race is open to everyday people. Around 40 percent of participants begin with no previous sailing experience before completing intensive training and taking on one of the toughest endurance challenges on the planet.
Along the way, Bob and his teammates have also been raising money for Clipper Race charity partner, UNICEF, with Bob’s team alone raising over £60,000. Contributing to the fundraising efforts, Bob shaved his beard off when in port in Seattle, USA, in April raising over £2,000 for the charity.
Image: A close shave for Bob, who raised money for UNICEF by saying goodbye to his beard.
The Clipper Race demands resilience, teamwork and determination from people who are bold enough to step away from everyday life to pursue something extraordinary. Crew members include teachers, doctors, farmers, tattoo artists, engineers, students and retirees.
Image: The Clipper Race fleet of ten identical yachts raced back into Portsmouth nearly a year after setting off
Founded by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo, non-stop around the world, the Clipper Race is the only event of its kind that trains people from all walks of life to become ocean racers. Following four weeks of mandatory training, many participants leave with more offshore sailing miles than most professional sailors accumulate in a lifetime.
The next edition of the Clipper Race, the 2027-28 edition, will get underway from the UK in summer 2027, with applications now open for future race crew to take part.
