2 sources · updated 22 Oct 2026
Clipper Ventures plc was set up by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and William Ward to run a round-the-world race open to paying amateur crews, an idea conceived in 1995. The first race was held in 1996.
The company owns the race yachts and manages their construction: the Clipper 60s (designed by David Pedrick, built by Colvic Craft), the Clipper 68s (Ed Dubois, built in China for 2005) and then the Clipper 70s (Tony Castro, built in Qingdao for the 2013-14 race). Jeremy Knight, who joined in 1998, headed these build projects.
The 2019-20 race, interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, resumed in 2022 and finished in London in July 2022. According to The Times, the delay led to a £1.5m loss in the year to January 2022. In November 2022 the same paper reported that the founders were looking for a buyer for the company.