Meet Race Skipper Huw Fernie

Huw Fernie turned his back on a career in aeronautical engineering for his real passion of sailing, which began as a child while holidaying with his grandparents.

31-year-old Huw from Falmouth, Cornwall, is very familiar with the Clipper Race, having worked as a training mate for the crew heading off on their 40,000 mile voyage since 2012.

Now Huw will be embarking on his own adventure, he says he cannot wait to get going: “It felt like the timing was right because I've known about the Clipper Race for so long and had a lot of encouragement from previous race skippers and also from the crews I've trained. I've always wanted to sail around the world and the challenge of doing it in a race seems like a great idea.”

After getting his degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Glasgow University, Huw turned his attention to sailing full-time and has already experienced sailing some of the Clipper Race route. In the past Huw has delivered yachts down to Australia for the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race and when his crew line up for the Leg 4 event on December 26, 2015, it will be his third time competing in the celebrated Boxing Day extravaganza.

He said: “I like getting involved with challenges and have been lucky enough to work with a couple of people I really admire. I helped Sir Robin Knox-Johnston prepare his boat for the 2006-07 Velux 5 Oceans race and I was part of the team who helped sailor Hilary Lister, who is quadriplegic, sail around Britain in 2009.”

Five things about Huw

My lifetime goal is: to do the Vendee Globe, but I have 500 other things I want to do too!

My family would probably describe me as: quietly determined, quirky, Mr Fix-it.

The ocean I am most looking forward to crossing is: the Southern Ocean.

If I wasn’t a sailor I would like to be: a crackpot inventor - like Wallace and Gromit.

The most important advice I’ll give to my crew is: sleep when you can and look after your hands.

To read more about all of our race skippers click here.