Bunbury sailor Craig Head has expertly guided his yacht into Fremantle Port, marking a triumphant homecoming after conquering one of the world's most formidable ocean passages in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
A Dream Realised After 23 Gruelling Days
After 23 days battling the legendary and punishing conditions of the Southern Ocean, Craig Head steered the GOSH team to a first-place arrival in Fremantle this week. This victory marks the team's third consecutive stage win, solidifying their overall lead in the multi-stage global race by approximately 30 points.
For Mr Head, the moment was the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition. Greeted by family and friends dockside at the Port of Fremantle, he described the experience as unparalleled. "It was such an amazing feeling," Mr Head said. "I've won races and gotten trophies in my life. But this was so different because it was such a hard experience, and something I've just never done before. It's an experience I'll never forget."
Conquering the 'Roaring Forties' and Mental Storms
The Fremantle stopover, where all ten competing teams arrived between Monday and Friday last week, concludes Leg 4 from Cape Town. This segment crosses the intense Southern Ocean, renowned for the "Roaring Forties" trade winds and widely considered the single hardest section of the global journey.
At the helm of GOSH is 25-year-old skipper Oliver Irvine, a sailing instructor for whom this is a first Clipper Race. He recounted an especially harrowing night during the leg. "It was absolutely mental," Mr Irvine said. "We just had storm, after storm, after storm come through, with stronger and stronger waves. They were absolutely huge, and it was completely pitch black."
Faced with a critical decision to either continue steering in overpowered conditions or send crew onto the bow in darkness to change sails, he prioritised safety. "I decided to keep it up, which meant it was really difficult to steer the boat, but keeping my team safe was my primary job," he explained. "That night will stick with me for a very long time."
The Unseen Role of a Skipper and the Drive to Win
Mr Irvine highlighted the immense responsibility of his role, which extends far beyond navigation. "As the skipper, you're not just sailing. You're also the engineer, the medic, counsellor, the plumber," he said, noting the need for traditional skills like celestial navigation in case of tech failure.
To motivate his crew of 19 through physically and mentally demanding situations, he draws on a lesson from an old coach. "He used to shout out '60 per cent' at us," Mr Irvine recalled. "Because he said you only ever use 60 per cent of your strength and your energy. The 40 per cent has to come from something else — like a real passion or drive." He credits unlocking that extra 40 per cent in his team as a key reason for their current success.
The Clipper Race, founded in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, is a biennial event where amateur and professional sailors crew identical yachts on a year-long global circuit. Participants undergo intensive four-stage training, and the event has raised over $3.2 million for UNICEF since its inception.
The 2025-26 race comprises eight legs. After a brief respite in Fremantle, the fleet will depart on December 21 at 12pm for the fifth leg to Airlie Beach in Queensland. The journey will then continue to Asia and North America before returning to the starting point in Portsmouth, UK, around July next year.
