On Sunday 31st August, Old Berkhamstedian, Gavin Rees (School House 1997) set sail from Portsmouth as Skipper of one of the boats taking part in the Clipper Round the World Race, in his boat 70ft sailing boat, sponsored by London Business School.

The race, which will cover over 40,000 nm and will take 11 months, sees Gavin and his first mate Zoe Longley lead a team of novice sailors who have been trained ready for this epic voyage, as they race against 9 identical boats. Short stopovers will take place in Puerto Sherry, (Spain), Punta Del Este (Uruguay) Cape Town (South Africa), Freemantle (Australia), Airlie Beach (Australia), Subic Bay (Philippines), Qingdao (China), Tongyeong (South Korea), Seattle (USA), The Panama Canal, Washington DC (USA), and Oban (Scotland) for crew changeovers, provisioning and maintenance, before returning to Portsmouth for race end on 25th July 2026.

To see Gav off, he was joined in Portsmouth by 3 boats of Old Berkhanstedians, as well as a land based supporters group made up of friends, family, OB Committee and former staff.

For those wishing to track the race, please click on this link: Clipper Round The World Race

or to find out more about the Clipper Race: Clipper Round The World