At 21-years-old, Ella Hebron is skippering Team Washington DC in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
Sponsored by Events DC, Team Washington DC has spent the better part of the past year racing more than 40,000 nautical miles around the globe alongside nine other identical Clipper 70ft yachts. Unlike most professional sailing competitions, many Clipper Race crew members are amateur sailors who joined with little or no sailing experience before completing the race’s intensive training program.
Ella Hebron’s connection to sailing traces back to the Chesapeake Bay, where she first experienced being on the water during a childhood visit to Maryland for a family wedding. Back home in England, that early memory helped spark her interest in the sport, leading her to begin sailing dinghies at Pevensey Bay Sailing Club on the South Coast.
“In the beginning, I crewed on Sundays for a sailor in his seventies who taught me a huge amount about trim, tactics and racing,” Ella said.
She later progressed into offshore racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Junior Offshore Group, while also gaining experience with Oyster Yachts and its commissioning team.
FIRST MATE TO SKIPPER
Her rise through the Clipper Race ranks has been remarkably fast. After serving as First Mate aboard Team Washington DC during the 2023-24 circumnavigation, Ella returned this cycle to lead the team as skipper, adding her name to the list of the youngest skippers in the history of the Clipper Race. The role of skipper extends far beyond navigation and race tactics. It requires managing crew morale, ensuring safety, building trust and making critical decisions far from shore.
“Becoming skipper for the 2025–26 race was hugely meaningful for me, not only because it is something I have worked towards since I was 15, but because of what the role represents,” said Ella. “To lead a team of people from completely different backgrounds (most with little or no prior sailing experience) around the world, and through some of the toughest oceans on the planet, is an incredible privilege and responsibility.”
Ella’s rise is a direct reflection of how the Clipper Race develops new offshore sailors. For many, the event serves as an entry point into professional offshore sailing, offering beginner sailors the opportunity to gain ocean racing experience at the highest level.
“The Clipper Race places people in demanding, real-world environments, where leadership, teamwork and resilience are developed through experience on the water, and Ella has shown exactly what can be achieved through that pathway,” said Georgina Best, Head of Partnerships at the Clipper Race.
EQUAL PLAYING FIELD
This year’s race has also highlighted the growing presence of women in offshore leadership roles with women making up 55 percent of the race professionals across the fleet; marking a significant milestone for an event traditionally dominated by men. Ella has spoken openly about the way sailing creates an equal playing field, where conditions at sea challenge every sailor the same way regardless of age or gender.
“Sailing has traditionally been very male dominated, so I am proud to be part of a generation helping change that perception,” she said. “Once people see you operating under pressure, making decisions and leading the team, age and gender tend to become irrelevant very quickly.”
She also noted that while empathy and collaboration are often readily accepted in young female leaders, exercising authority and accountability can still challenge expectations.
FLEET WEEK
Over the past several months, the crew has dealt with heavy Pacific swells, cold overnight watches, interrupted sleep, tight sleeping quarters and the relentless pace of round-the-clock racing, not to mention working around their soaked foul-weather gear drying on deck. Amid those conditions, the team has proudly served as ambassadors for the nation’s capital. Sponsored by Events DC for a second consecutive edition, the yacht has carried the city’s name across Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Americas, helping showcase Washington, DC as both a tourism destination and an emerging waterfront sailing hub.
In June, the crews headed to Washington, DC during Clipper Race Fleet Week at The Wharf, where crowds gathered along the waterfront to welcome the fleet. Hosted by Events DC, the multi-day celebration featured public yacht tours, crew appearances, live entertainment and maritime programming designed to bring the excitement of offshore racing directly to the community. The turnout reflected growing enthusiasm for sailing in the region while allowing visitors the rare opportunity to experience a global ocean race up close.
“Clipper Round the World showcases our world-class city as an international destination for sports, culture and legacy,” said Angie M. Gates, president and CEO of Events DC.
For many visitors, Fleet Week offered an opportunity to better understand the human side of the Clipper Race. Crew members shared stories from months at sea, discussed the physical and mental demands of ocean racing and reflected on the unique camaraderie built during a round-the-world challenge. For Team Washington DC, the stopover served as both a celebration and a reminder of how far the team had travelled since departing nearly a year earlier.
FINAL STAGES
Ella and Team Washington DC are entering the final stages of their circumnavigation. The fleet is pushing toward the closing stretch, with the final race leg from Washington, DC to Oban, Scotland where they will arrive in mid-July, before the final sprint back to Portsmouth on 19 July. It is a passage that continues to test every crew physically and mentally, even as the sight of the finish line edges closer on the horizon.
Regardless of the final standings, Ella’s progression from First Mate to skipper has become one of the top stories of the 2025-26 race. She represents a new wave of offshore sailors proving that leadership is not defined by age, but by the ability to guide others through uncertainty, challenge and adventure across the world’s oceans.
Follow the final days of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race at: ClipperRoundTheWorldYachtRace.com
