Musto reveals new cutting-edge offshore sailing kit for Clipper 2023-24 Race Crew

Clipper Race Technical Clothing Partner Musto has launched its brand new, technologically-advanced HPX Collection, ready for crew to take on the world’s oceans on the upcoming edition of the global yacht race.

Image: Race Crew endure everything that Mother Nature can throw at them on the global circumnavigation

Renowned for its high performance gear worn by offshore sailors, Musto has partnered with the Clipper Race since the 2019-20 edition, kitting out Clipper Race Crew in the world’s leading sailing clothing and using the race as a platform to test and innovate its kit in the toughest weather conditions sailors can face.

Tried and tested by Race Skippers on the 2019-20 edition, the all-new head-to-toe HPX Collection has been developed by Musto to withstand thousands of hours working hard on deck, on long watches and in the harshest elements endured on a global circumnavigation.

Image: Skipper of winning team Qingdao on the 2019-20 edition, Chris Brooks, putting the HPX through its paces

Skippers, First Mates and Race Crew on the upcoming edition will be wearing a state of the art HPX Gore Tex Pro Ocean Smock and Trousers, providing the greatest barrier against the elements and unmatched breathability that doesn’t hinder performance. The Clipper Race HPX Collection will have bespoke features unique to the conditions of the race, developed from Race Crew and Skipper feedback. Features include lowered, fleece-lined pockets on the smock for comfort on the coldest watches, whilst wearing a Spinlock lifejacket, and neoprene neck and wrist seals for the increased durability required for eleven months of offshore racing.

Jeronimo Santos Gonzales, Skipper of Punta del Este on the Clipper 2019-20 Race was one of the Skippers who tested the new fabric over the course of the eleven-month circumnavigation and 40,000-plus nautical miles. He comments, “The Musto HPX helped me through the race, in particular in Leg 1, where we hit Storm Lorenzo. It was a heavy weather storm with big waves, strong winds and rain coming horizontally. I remember that using the high neck and hood on the HPX meant I was well-protected. The new material is so flexible, so when I was doing sail changes or moving quickly on deck, it was perfect to be able to keep warm whilst moving around easily.

Image: Punta del Este Skipper Jeronimo Santos Gonzales

“The Musto HPX gear was with me for the whole duration of the Clipper 2019-20 Race, across over 40,000 miles of racing over eleven months. It has endured every situation possible at sea: from lots of storms, exposure to salt water, and it has kept really well, the material is still weather-protecting and flexible. I use it all the time now when I’m sailing, including during my recent race from Mauritius to Auckland on the Globe 40.”

The HPX range works within Musto’s pioneering three-layer system, and is engineered from the toughest GORE-TEX Pro fabric, the most waterproof membrane on the market engineered to keep sailors dry without compromising on breathability. The collection also features Musto’s signature Ocean Technology which combines knowledge from the industry’s top developers who have created the world’s best ocean kit. Furthermore with sustainability playing a key role in the product’s development, the face fabric of the outer-layers is 100% recycled features Bluesign©* Approved fabric.

On the conditions faced whilst racing, Mark Light, Clipper Race Director added: “Clipper Race Crew will face the very worst conditions that Mother Nature can send their way as they race across the world’s oceans. Whether that’s storms and freezing conditions in the North Pacific and Roaring Forties, or the squally weather and tropical storms of Asia and Australia, crew will experience it all.

Image: Harsh conditions in the North Pacific

“Sailing kit that can sustain such intense weather conditions, whilst enabling the crew to move around easily on deck for manoeuvres and sail changes is of paramount importance to performance, safety and comfort whilst racing. Skippers, First Mates and crew can count on Musto kit in the toughest and wildest weather, having been tested to their absolute limits in the last edition of the race.”

Nick Houchin, Musto Head of Marketing said: “HPX was made to provide the ultimate protection in the most hostile oceans on the planet, exactly what Clipper Race Crew experience during their legs. The new fabric utilised in HPX with the rugged GORE-TEX Pro membrane was first tested by Skippers in the previous Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. Their positive feedback after wearing the product for hundreds of hours and thousands of miles can provide trust and confidence for future crew and all others choosing HPX to protect them out in the deep oceans.”

As the crew race around the world, they will continue to play an integral role in Musto’s ongoing programme of product testing and development by putting its products through its paces in the planet’s most hostile environments, and feeding back to Musto to enable its continual innovation of the world’s best sailing gear.

The Clipper 2023-24 Race will get underway this summer, with over 700 crew taking on the extraordinary challenge. Although the complete race route is yet to be announced, Host Port destinations so far include Zhuhai in China, Ha Long Bay, Vietnam and Richard’s Bay in South Africa, with further destinations to be announced over the next few months. Crew on the 2023-24 edition are currently taking on their levels of training, and will be allocated to their teams in May 2023 before being issued their gold HPX from Musto ahead of their final level of Clipper Race training. Keep an eye on the Clipper Race News Hub to follow the journey.

*Bluesign© is a stamp of approval for regulated chemicals and traceability within the textiles industry. It unites the entire textile value chain to reduce impact on people and the planet with a focus on sustainable chemistry.