Meet Race Skipper Max Stunell

Max Stunell will be a familiar face to many former crew as he has been working as a Clipper Race training mate and skipper ahead of the last two races.

Max, 34, started sailing on the Solent as a schoolboy in Portsmouth. He left the south coast briefly to study the History of Film at Westminster College and worked in advertising in London, but in all that time, his heart lay at sea. Max says: “For me, I’ve always wanted to sail around the world, one of the most noble challenges still available to man.

“The crew come from a diverse background and all want to do the race for different reasons but they all share one goal, to take themselves away from the humdrum of daily life and push themselves to their limits. Ultimately the sense of achievement of getting to race finish knowing you have brought the boat and crew safely around the world is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

Max already has several Atlantic Ocean crossings in his log book so it’s the Southern Ocean which is the one he is most looking forward to in the race. He says: “To put a race campaign together takes a lot more than just being a good sailor. To take the boat around the world safely and in a seaman like fashion is as much about living harmoniously for long periods in a confined space as it is about sailing fast. As one crew member said to me recently, it is my job to deliver their dreams, which is very apt.”

Five things about Max:

My aims for the Clipper Race are: To get everyone around safely, quickly and happily.

I found the Skipper trials: Tough, but they have to be.

The most important piece of advice I’ll give my crew is: Clip on!!

My lifetime goal is: to raise a happy family.

My most memorable moment at sea was: seeing whales play in the phosphorescence near the Azores.