Around the world sailing by Francesca Clapcich

“Sailing is a family passion, but when I was little I was scared. If the boat tilted under the force of the wind, I was terrified. I fell asleep only lulled by the sound of the engine, they turned it on purpose to calm me down”. So it is said Francesca Clapcich, 35, from Trieste, twice Olympic. She is the only Italian sailor involved in The Ocean Race, the crewed world tour that will arrive in June, with the Grand Finale, in Genoa. On 10 May she entered Newport Bay as winner of the fourth leg of the race which started from Alicante on 15 January. She is embarked on 11th Hours Racing, an American boat sponsored by a foundation whose mission is to protect the Oceans and in September, together with The Ocean Race, she will present a collection of signatures to the United Nations general assembly to approve a Declaration Universal Rights of the Oceans. The president of 11th hours Wendy Schmidt known by the Italian sailing community for having won the Barcolana 2022 with her Deep Blue, the first success with the stars and stripes flag in the classic regatta in the Gulf of Trieste. His love for the city, his enthusiasm for the regatta was overwhelming, so he accompanied his sporting success with a donation of one hundred thousand dollars to the Miramare Marine Park: “They asked me for advice” says Clapcich, “and I immediately thought in Miramare, because, like all Trieste children, I spent entire afternoons of my childhood in the garden of the white castle, one of the symbols of Trieste”.