Hi all!

Another week and another announcement!

I’m proud to share with you all that I’ve been appointed by MerConcept to be the skipper of their brand-new racing program UpWind by MerConcept. The program will provide female sailors with racing opportunities at the highest levels of the sport, mentored by some of the industry's most experienced sailors and technical shore teams. We’ll be racing for the next two years in the Ocean Fifty offshore trimaran circuit in a multi-event series, including a west-to-east transatlantic race.

I’m particularly proud to be part of this program because UpWind’s ambition is to contribute towards a more inclusive and diverse sailing community, providing a platform for individuals from all backgrounds to access quality offshore sailing training and professional development - something I’m deeply passionate about.

I totally share the vision of François Gabart, a Vendée Globe winner and the Founder of MerConcept when he says: “Teams perform at their best when they comprise diverse talent. A first step to achieving this is to support the growth in the critical mass of talented female sailors with offshore multihull experience so that all teams taking on challenges like the Jules Verne Trophy will have mixed crews in the future.” Bring it on!

*Francesca Clapcich onboard the UpWind by MerConcept Ocean Fifty*

We are looking for sailors with experience from all over the world and across all disciplines of the sport - inshore, offshore, match-racing, Olympics. A shortlist of twelve candidates will be invited to come to France for a week-long selection process, and then a squad of six female sailors will be part of a rotating performance crew, boosted by a delivery and training crew.

Applications are now open for female sailors to apply to be part of the program - you can find out all the details here on the UpWind website. Deadline is March 24, 2024 so please do apply and share the link with anyone who you know could be suitable.

For those of you who might not know of MerConcept, it is the home of some of the biggest offshore names in our sport. They have run the campaigns for François Gabart, Charlie Dalin, and Tom Laperche, and were also performance partners to 11th Hour Racing Team for the last Ocean Race.

Based in Concarneau, France, right in the heart of the offshore sailing world, the 100-strong team are experts in boat design, boat building, performance racing, composites, engineering - you name it! They have also developed a solid reputation and talent with their sustainable innovation laboratory - pushing the boundaries of technology to reduce the sport’s impact on our blue planet. They are the perfect partners for this game-changing program.

A final note to thank so many of you for getting in touch with me, either through my Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or by email following the announcement of my sponsorship by 11th Hour Racing. I really appreciate your support in this next phase of my career. We love to hear your stories about your experiences in this incredible sailing world we are part of - please do keep them coming.

I’m heading to Concarneau next weekend to spend eight days with the UpWind team. I’ll keep you posted on how things develop.

Andiamo!

Francesca ‘Frankie’ Clapcich

she/her

I’m the new skipper for UpWind by MerConcept

UpWind is Go! Have you applied?

11th Hour Racing to power Francesca!