“You can do it” - Sean Russo hopes to inspire future crew

Could this be you?

Sean Russo, 60, from New South Wales, Australia, ticked off crossing an ocean from his bucket list when he took on Leg 3 on the Clipper 2023-24 Race.

Following in the footsteps of his great grandfather, he wanted to map the route he had sailed back in the late 1800s, while also doing something out of his comfort zone to celebrate turning 60. After a time to reflect on his experience, his words of advice to anyone contemplating taking on the race of their life is ‘throw yourself into it and do it. You can do it.’

Image: Sean (right) with his team mate Peter

Find out why he took on his own adventure, and what he learnt from the experience here:

Why did you choose to do Leg 3 – sailing from South Africa back to your home nation, Australia?
Well, it was mainly because of the time of year and the route. I had researched the diary of my great grandfather, and in the late 1890s he sailed from England to New Zealand on a Clipper ship, reaching Cape Town in November. He sailed across the great Southern Ocean in November and December, so I thought that would be cool to sail across the same stretch at the same time of year, all those years later. I also loved the idea of buying a one-way ticket, flying to South Africa and then sailing home!

Following in the footsteps of greats! So, what was it like to sail into Australia?
Well, my wife and I met in Perth, so Perth is very special to us. Rounding Rottnest Island in the dark and arriving at sunrise, we got that first glimpse of skyline as we sailed down the coast to Fremantle and it was just fantastic. I found it very emotional because it wasn’t foreign to me, it was actually very familiar. I've lived there a couple of times in the 80s and the 90s, and I visit seven or eight times a year for work, and so it was very much like coming home.

Our Skipper, Nano, was sitting up on the bow and we were all in the cockpit and he called my name, but I didn't hear him. Someone said, “Nano wants you”. I went up to the bow, and he said, “because you’re Australian, if you stay here, you'll be the first one across the finish line,” and then he walked away. That was very cool, sitting in the boat looking back at all the crew and the sails, it was a very, very emotional moment.

Image: Sean raises the Australian flag on board Yacht Club Punta del Este

Such sentimental memories. So, tell us about the build-up to your race?
I got to South Africa a little bit early. I loved Cape Town and I had a wonderful time there. I think that was such an important thing to do, to get there a little early, because I had the opportunity to bond with some of the guys that I trained with. We got to get around Cape Town and enjoy all it had to offer, and then when the boat came in, I immediately felt part of the crew. I knew some of the team already from training, but we all walked up Lion’s Head, we walked up Table Mountain and went out and did a trip to one of the vineyards. By the time we all got on the boat to sail, I’d already formed a relationship with people that I hadn’t trained with. So yeah, having the Cape Town stopover as part of my experience was just fantastic.

For those who are yet to start, how was the training process for you?
The whole training experience is fantastic. I think people underestimate what an important part of the journey this is because you start to meet all these people from all walks of life and all nationalities, and you're getting to experience the boat. The only thing you’re not doing at this point is racing!

I think both Level 1 and Level 2 are very interesting because a lot of people, like me, don't know much about sailing. I'd done some sailing in the past, but the furthest I'd ever sailed long distance was from Sydney about a day and a half north - and that was once - but some of the people had never sailed out of sight of land. On Level 1 and Level 2, a lot of people are overcoming their inner concerns, but sailing really bonds people. You’re going through it all together.

And, throughout the whole thing – training to racing - the number of nationalities and personalities I met, I found very cool. Argentinians, Colombians, Mexicans, Americans, English, Swedish, Dutch, to name a few, it really reminds you that we've all got a lot more in common than we have different. We sung happy birthday in seven different languages on our boat Yacht Club Punta del Este, how amazing is that?

That’s the beauty of the Clipper Race – you get to meet so many wonderful people. Was that an important part of it for you?
I didn’t realise it when I signed up, but yes, it was really nice. I've made contacts all over the world and you just realise everyone's the same. Everyone wants to do the same thing and get the same out of it. You're all letting go and enjoying it. I found that aspect of it, the personal development aspect, really fantastic.

Image: Sean with his Yacht Club Punta del Este team mates on Leg 3 departure day

What about for those that maybe think that joining a leg later on in the race is daunting because you're getting onto a boat that has already started racing, what would be your advice to those?
It's a different challenge to joining Leg 1 for sure, because at this point none of you have done it before, so everybody on the boat is kind of a novice. By the time I got on there were nine people that had already sailed that boat from Uruguay, so of the 23 Race Crew leaving Cape Town, there was a good proportion of people that already had some ocean experience. However, they can't sail a boat on their own! So, they need the other people, and because of how they watches are split, I didn't feel at any point that it was the newbies and the old. So, I don't think anybody needs to be in any way concerned about that. The good thing is that everyone has been in that same position of being ‘new’ at some point.

Image: Life at sea

Tell me about life on the boat – the racing, the living, the learning.
One of the things that I really loved about the race is the competition. So much competitive spirit with the other boats, but absolutely no competition inside the boat. The whole team on board is rooting for you and each other. When you're sailing for 27 days, 24 hours a day, no one person can do everything all of the time, so everyone is glad there are others there to help.

The second thing is understanding yourself and learning about the team around you. You learn a lot about yourself when you're under pressure and in those types of conditions. I found one of the most challenging things was being below deck. Getting dressed and undressed was the most challenging thing at 30° and everyone's trying to do it and you're in a hurry because you don't want to let them down on deck when they’re hungry and cold.

Image: Enjoying life down below deck

It sounds like you took a lot from your experience. Now you’ve done the whole process, what would be your words of advice to someone that may be unsure about taking the leap and starting their own Clipper Race adventure?
Have a crack. When someone first told me about the Clipper Race, I said “Oh, that'd be ridiculous.” Who was going to let someone who'd never sailed crew an ocean racing yacht? But the first time I ever helmed a boat of any size in my life, it was a 70-foot ocean racer in 25 knot winds in the Southern Ocean. And I couldn't stop laughing. It was fantastic, I thought, this is crazy! But the training prepared you for every bit of it. You had crew around you, and you had the support to do it. I was a complete novice, but I’ve come back from the experience very comfortable with sailing.

Also, don’t let yourself think that age is an issue. I turned 60 just before my race, and I’m reasonably fit. But there were people a lot fitter than me and there were people not as fit as me, but everyone was comfortable and competent at being able to do things they needed to. People bring different skills.

Go and throw yourself into the training and do it.

If you’re feeling inspired by Sean’s story, you too can start your own adventure. The 2025-26 edition is now open for applications, with training starting again in late February. Find out more and take the first step towards the race of your life: www.clipperroundtheworld.com/apply