After nearly a year at sea and 40,000 nautical miles of racing, Cape Town skipper Dylan Kotze has completed the legendary Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, one of the toughest endurance challenges on the planet.
Global (27 July 2026) – Most of us dream about travelling the world. Dylan Kotze decided to sail around it instead. After nearly a year at sea, navigating some of the planet’s most unforgiving oceans, the Cape Town skipper has crossed the finish line of the legendary Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, joining a very small group of people who can say they’ve circumnavigated the globe under sail.
Covering roughly 40,000 nautical miles, the Clipper Race is regarded as one of the toughest endurance challenges on Earth, pushing crews through six ocean crossings, relentless weather systems and some of the most remote waters on the planet.
Founded in 1995 by sailing legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is unlike any other. It is the only event of its kind that trains people from all walks of life to take part, even if they’ve never sailed before. Doctors, teachers, students, ski instructors, massage therapists and people from countless other professions put their everyday lives on hold to take on the adventure of a lifetime. Each of the ten identical, purpose-built yachts is led by a professional skipper and first mate, with up to 22 non-professional crew members racing around the clock for as long as 30 days at a time. Together, they face blistering heat at the equator, freezing temperatures in the South Indian Ocean, towering waves, powerful winds and those frustrating moments when the breeze disappears altogether.
For Dylan, leading a crew around the globe was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.
“I applied for the job of Clipper Race Skipper because it’s been a dream of mine to sail around the world. To do it with the Clipper Race is something I keep having to pinch myself about. I am very proud of what we’ve achieved. We’ve sailed hard, worked together as a team and it’s been incredible. I am very proud to say I’ve sailed around the world and led a great team.”
While simply completing the race is an extraordinary accomplishment, Dylan and his crew also celebrated a standout victory along the way. One of his favourite memories came in Subic Bay in the Philippines, where they claimed first place after battling demanding seas and unpredictable winds.
“A highlight for me was finishing first in Subic Bay, we had some tough seas and tricky winds – so that was the stand out moment.”
The final chapter of this incredible journey came during Stage 13, UNICEF’s Unstoppable Race for Childhood. The crews completed a 950-nautical-mile race down the west coast of the United Kingdom before crossing the finish line behind the Isle of Wight, bringing the 2025-26 edition of the Clipper Race to a close. The Grand Finale, held in Portsmouth this past Saturday, celebrated the race winners and every skipper and crew member who had taken on one of sailing’s greatest challenges.
For South Africa, Dylan’s achievement is another reminder that our people continue to take on the world’s biggest challenges and come home with stories that inspire the rest of us to dream a little bigger. And for anyone who’s ever wondered whether adventure is still out there waiting, the next Clipper Round the World Yacht Race sets sail in the summer of 2027, with applications already open for future race crew ready to chart a course of their own.
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