Francesca Clapcich (born 28 January 1988 in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

) is an Italian professional sailor, with World, European, and National Championship titles to her name. She is the only Italian to win

The Ocean Race The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, British brewing company Whitbread, in 2001 it became the Volvo Ocean R ...

, the round the world yacht race. She has competed twice at the Olympic Games, first time in the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, competing in the Women's Laser Radial class, finishing in 19th place. At the

2016 Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

, she competed in the women's 49erFX class with Giulia Conti, finishing in 5th place. With Giulia Conti in 2015 they won the Italian, European and

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

in the 49erFX Class. On 27 October 2015 Conti and Clapcich were awarded the Golden Collar sporting merit award - known as the Italian Sailor of the Year - the highest honor conferred by

CONES In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the ''apex'' or '' vertex''. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, ...

. In 2016, they came second at the European Championships. In 2017-18, she was a crew member on Turn the Tide on Plastic in the Volvo Ocean Race. In 2022-23 she was a crew member onboard 11th Hour Racing Team in The Ocean Race, the overall winners. In January 2024 it was announced that Francesca would be powered by 11th Hour Racing as a sponsored athlete to join its global initiatives for a more inclusive and sustainable future. 11th Hour Racing will power Clapcich to further advance her efforts in cultivating a safe, diverse, and equitable environment within the sailing industry. In February 202
UpWind by MerConcept
the new all-female training hub for female offshore multihull sailors was launched and Francesca was announced as the skipper. MerConcept Racing Director, Cécile Andrieu said, "Francesca will be an exceptional skipper for the UpWind project. She is a true trailblazer – the first Italian to win The Ocean Race – and she will bring skill, passion, and determination to the helm of our team. She is also a champion for diversity and inclusion, and under her leadership, we will break down barriers and work together to devise a sailing community that is welcoming and open to everyone.” Francesca is leading the UpWind by MerConcept team in the 2024 and 2025 season of Ocean Fifty Racing. In May 2024 it was announced that Francesca had been shortlisted for two Italian Sailor of the Year Awards - by the Italian Sailing Federation and the Giornale della Vela. Francesca lives in Park City, Utah, with her wife, Sally Barkow, also a former professional sailor and Olympian, and their daughter, Harriet.

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* Italian female sailors (sport) Living people Olympic sailors for Italy Sailors at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Laser Radial 49er FX class sailors Sailors at the 2016 Summer Olympics – 49er FX 1988 births Sailors (sport) from Trieste 49er FX class world champions World champions in sailing for Italy Volvo Ocean Race sailors Sailors of Centro Sportivo Aeronautica Militare 21st-century Italian sportswomen {{Italy-yachtracing-bio-stub