Switching the Christmas Day barbie for Christmas Day on the bow

Feeling festive in the Roaring Forties - Clipper Round the World Yacht Race © Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club

This time next year, everyday people from all over the globe will be taking part in the Australian Coast to Coast leg of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. The fourth leg of the biennial 40,000nm sailing event is a not for the feint-hearted race around Australia, known for its constantly changing conditions that will put Race Crew through their paces both mentally and physically.

The Clipper Race is one of the biggest challenges of the natural world, and an endurance test like no other. Participants who choose to take on this battle against Mother Nature and their fellow competitors need no previous sailing experience before signing up, as full and rigorous mandatory training is provided.

The full Clipper Race circumnavigation is divided into eight legs, with each race edition seeing over 700 Race Crew, representing over 50 nations and from all walks of life, set out to complete the full route or select individual legs.

Leg 4: the Australian Coast-to-Coast, will take place from December 2025 to January 2026, and spans a 3,500nm offshore route from Western Australia to the East Coast of Australia. It will take on two of the world's toughest oceans - the Southern Indian and the Pacific - and see the fleet of eleven matched racing yachts dip to the most southerly point of the entire circumnavigation.

It also means Race Crew get the unique experience of switching their traditional holiday season festivities for a stripped back Christmas with their boat family on board a 70-foot racing yacht. Despite no creature comforts on board, teams still manage to get creative and bring the festive spirit, creating a distinctive Christmas that they'll talk about for years to come.

One Aussie that got to experience this unique way of celebrating was 61-year-old Tim Turpin from Glebe, New South Wales. Talking about celebrating the holidays whilst sailing around his home country, he said: "Christmas at sea was a first for me. On our boat (Bekezela) we decided to delay the celebrations by a few days as the weather was really rough on the actual day. This felt a bit weird, but it did allow us to eat our lunch on a flat boat and not at 45 degree lean with waves crashing over the bow!

"Secret Santa was a big hit and Santa himself even joined us (he slid down the mast instead of the chimney). All of this is going on while still racing and trying to keep up boat trim was very unique.

"Spending New Year's Eve on board was also very unique. A big count down under a magnificent night sky. The whole experience is going to be a treasured memory for the rest of my life. I met some amazing people and got tick off one thing off my bucket list."

Setting off from Western Australia, the fleet will race towards Tasmania, making the tactical decision to head towards the stronger winds further south, but adding extra miles, or take the most direct route and risk wind holes (patches of very light to no wind). Once the fleet sails around the bottom of Tasmania, it's downwind racing, steep seas and the famous East Australian Current to contend with from there.

A tactical balancing act, but this exciting leg also comes with experiencing stunning scenery and fantastic tropical sailing conditions as you sail north offshore from the East Coast. And the beauty of it is that it is all experienced in Australian waters.

Dianne McGrath, a 55-year-old Food Consultant from Maroochydore, Queensland was one of eight Australians who got to experience this first hand on the Clipper 2023-24 Race.

Dianne said: "To see different parts of my own country from such an unusual perspective was a true privilege. There's a real sense of excitement as you approach a 'hometown' from the water. It is on the horizon, then creeps closer and closer with familiar landmarks becoming recognisable gradually. The excitement really builds!

"We have such a stunning country with untapped beauty from all angles. And to see some of the incredible wildlife at sea here was breathtaking. I never knew the southern right whale dolphin existed. It is a strikingly beautiful creature - sleek black and white with no dorsal fin!"

Dianne, like all others who take on the Clipper Race completed four stages of mandatory training before starting her challenge. This takes the non-professional sailor and equips them with the sailing knowledge to tackle up to six ocean crossings, and to live for weeks at a time at sea with up to 22 other people.

On completing Leg 4 and her advice to others considering the adventure of a lifetime, Dianne added: "Be ready for a challenge! And for all weather. Even though Leg 4 happens during our summer Down Under, it can get cold below the Roaring Forties and then sweltering up in the tropics. But mainly, be ready for this incredibly unique experience."

Want to join Dianne and see the place you call home from a different perspective? Applications for the Christmas 2025 adventure of a lifetime are now open. Find out more at www.clipperroundtheworld.com.