It’s time to get competitive… skippers announced for Qingdao and UNICEF yachts (2025)

It’s time to get competitive… skippers announced for Qingdao and UNICEF yachts

You’ve met the skippers, now let’s start to match the teams!

Following the Clipper 2025-26 Race Skipper announcement at the end of March, it is now time to reveal the first two Skipper and team pairings of the season; Philip Quinn will be flying the flag for Qingdao, while Charity and Team Partner UNICEF will be led by Guy Waites.

China’s Sailing City of Qingdao [pronounced: ching-dau] has maintained a longstanding legacy with the Clipper Race and this year marks two decades since its debut year of partnership in 2005. The Clipper Race was the first international sailing event to take place in China, making Qingdao the first Chinese city to host an event of such a scale. Building on the success of this inaugural year, Qingdao went on to host the sailing events in the Beijing Olympics and continued to grow its name as China’s Sailing City on a global stage.

Philip returns as Qingdao Race Skipper for the second consecutive edition after joining the Qingdao team as Skipper from Leg 5 onwards during the 2023-24 edition.

With over 40 years of experience, and numerous sailing accolades to his name, he is eager to complete his circumnavigation goal by leading his own team from the start. Philip has a high-performance record when it comes to the Clipper Race, leading his Qingdao team to secure five podium finishes in the eight races that he led, and boasting four first place finishes and one third place.

On the announcement, Philip said: “I am so very proud to return as the skipper of Qingdao for the next edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.As Qingdao is the longest supporter and partner of the race, it is an honour to be chosen to represent the city and its people for a second time.With a lot of effort and competitive spirit, we hope tobuild on our successes in the last edition.”

UNCEF, the global children’s rights organisation, has been the Clipper Race’s Charity Partner for the past decade and the race has raised over £1.6m since its debut as a Team Partner during the2015-16 edition. Continuing its presence as a team entry, the ‘Big Blue Boat’ will set sail for a fifth consecutive circumnavigation. Using the power of global adventure, we will continue to raise awareness of the challenges facing children worldwide and raise vital funds with an ambitious target of £420,000.

Vastly experienced skipper Guy Waites will be leading Team UNICEF around the globe for this 2025-26 edition. Guy, who is no stranger to circumnavigations, has led teams in both the Clipper 2017-18 and 2019-20 races, as well as sailed single-handed around the world via Cape Horn in the Golden Globe Race. He has also sailed the Atlantic Ocean single-handed five times.

For Guy, returning to lead a team in the Clipper 2025-26 Race was a no-brainer; getting to meet new people and circumnavigating the world are two things that he never tires of. He’s looking forward to getting back into race-mode and focusing on tactics.

Speaking about representingTeam UNICEF for this edition, Guy said: “It’s a huge privilege for me to be selected as the Skipper of Team UNICEF. As First Mate toTeam Unicef on the 2017-18 edition, we finished on the podium three times in the final five races, and I now look forward to building on that success!

"UNICEF represents a powerful vehicle of change ‘for every child’, with millions of children supported across more than 190 countries around the world. The Clipper Race has a strong relationship with UNICEF, and I am delighted to play a small part in this incredible partnership!"

Philip and Guy are now busy with preparations for the Clipper 2025-26 Race, which gets underway from Portsmouth, UK, on 31 August. Ahead of the Race Start, both Philip and Guy are looking forward to meeting Race Crew who will be assigned into the Qingdao and UNICEF teams during Crew Allocation at Guildhall, Portsmouth on 17 May.

Getting some serious FOMO? Want to get involved? We have some limited availability remaining for the Clipper 2025-26 Race, with time to join and train ahead of the Race Start! For more information, or to apply, head to the application page of the Clipper Race website.