As dawn breaks over the world’s oceans, a distinctive blue-and-white yacht bearing the London Business School crest is cutting through the swell, carrying with it more than just sails and rigging. It is part of the Clipper Round the World Race: a gruelling 40,000-nautical-mile circumnavigation crewed largely by amateur sailors who test their limits in some of the planet’s most unforgiving waters. For London Business School, this journey is more than an adventure story; it is a live experiment in leadership, resilience and teamwork played out far from the classroom.
In this sailing update, we chart the progress of the LBS-backed crew as they navigate shifting weather systems, technical challenges and the complex dynamics of life at sea. From the navigation decisions taken in the dead of night to the split-second calls made on deck under pressure, the race is offering a rare, unfiltered look at how individuals and teams perform when the stakes are high and the margin for error is vanishingly small.
As the yacht advances leg by leg towards its eventual return to port, London Business School is closely following not only the race standings, but the lessons emerging from every watch rotation and storm front. This is where classroom theory meets real-world uncertainty – and where the next chapter of the School’s story of exploration and leadership is being written, one nautical mile at a time.
Inside the fleet How London Business School is navigating the Clipper Round The World Race
Below decks,the shifting rhythms of ocean racing have reshaped everyday life for the London Business School crew. Watch schedules overlap with Zoom debriefs, logbooks sit alongside case studies, and whiteboards carry a mix of sail plans and strategic frameworks. Roles are fluid yet precise: a marketing manager trims the jib, a finance professional tracks power consumption, and an MBA student helps navigate routing software, translating data into on‑water decisions. This blend of leadership theory and salt‑spray reality has led to improvised routines, including:
- Rotating leadership on key maneuvers to test different decision-making styles
- Micro-retrospectives after sail changes to capture lessons in real time
- On-watch learning bursts using short case notes and scenario drills
- Skill-pairing that matches nautical expertise with analytical strengths
| Watch | Focus | Key Skill |
|---|---|---|
| Dawn | Sail trim & data checks | Analytical agility |
| Day | Race tactics & crew rotation | Team leadership |
| Night | Navigation & risk management | Calm under pressure |
Above deck, the project feels less like a voyage and more like a live, full-scale simulation of high-stakes management. Weather reports become market forecasts; squalls resemble sudden regulatory shocks; rival boats function as agile competitors testing different strategies. Each leg of the race allows the team to experiment with approaches to performance, accountability and resilience, using structured yet flexible frameworks such as:
- Daily “stand-up” huddles aligning course, crew welfare and performance goals
- Scenario planning built around shifting wind patterns and limited resources
- Decision logs documenting why tactical calls were made under uncertainty
- Feedback loops between skipper, crew and shore-based LBS supporters
Leadership at sea Lessons in decision making resilience and teamwork from life on board
Out on the foredeck at 3 a.m., when the spray feels like pins and the wind howls above any normal conversation, leadership becomes a series of split-second choices made under pressure. Every sail change is a live case study in risk assessment,prioritisation and interaction: is it worth pushing a little longer with the current sail plan,or do we reef early and sacrifice speed for safety? On board,hierarchy dissolves quickly if it’s not backed by competence and calm; respect is earned when a skipper or watch leader can absorb conflicting information,decide clearly,and then explain the “why” in a few words that cut through the noise. The feedback loop is immediate-get it right and the boat feels lighter and faster; hesitate or misjudge and the sea rewards you with flogging sails, tangled lines and weary, sceptical faces.
- Decisions are made with incomplete data and changing weather models.
- Resilience is forged in wet gear, short sleep cycles and relentless routines.
- Teamwork is measured in trust at the bow, not titles on a CV.
| On Board | In Business School |
|---|---|
| Reefing before a squall | De-risking before a market shock |
| Rotating night watches | Sharing workload across teams |
| Debrief after a sail change | Post-mortem after a project sprint |
Over time, the boat becomes a floating laboratory for behavior under sustained stress. The crew learns to read not only the sea state but also each other’s energy levels, temperaments and blind spots.Small acts-someone quietly making tea for the next watch, a quick debrief after a mistake, a volunteer stepping up for yet another cold bow manoeuvre-compound into performance gains you can literally track on the nav screen. The most effective leaders on board are those who normalise fatigue,make space for doubt and still keep the team moving with a shared sense of purpose; they understand that the real race is not just against other boats,but against the limits of individual endurance and collective cohesion.
From ocean tactics to boardroom strategy Translating racing insights into business advantage
On deck, every sail change is a calculated bet on shifting winds, incomplete data and the psychology of rival crews. In the boardroom, the variables are different but the logic is strikingly similar: leaders must interpret imperfect market signals, commit to a course and retain the humility to adjust rapidly.Our race experience has sharpened how we think about risk, timing and resilience. Rotating through night watches in the North Atlantic made trade-offs tangible: push the boat hard and gain miles now, or throttle back to protect gear and crew for the long leg ahead. That same tension plays out in decisions around product launches, capital allocation and talent deployment-forcing executives to weigh short-term wins against long-term endurance.
Out on the ocean, information arrives as fragments-wind shifts on the face, a distant masthead light, a barometer dropping by half a point. Turning such fragments into strategy is where high-performance sailing and high-performance business meet. On board, we’ve refined behaviours that translate directly into organisational advantage:
- Brutal clarity of roles during manoeuvres, mirroring high-stakes project execution.
- Disciplined debriefs after every sail change,feeding a real-time learning loop.
- Psychological safety for junior crew to challenge a planned tactic before it becomes a costly error.
- Scenario rehearsals for storms and gear failure, building reflexes for corporate crisis response.
| On the Race Boat | In the Business |
|---|---|
| Trim for changing gusts | Adjust pricing to demand |
| Rotate crew on tough watches | Manage team workload peaks |
| Plot multiple weather routes | Model strategic scenarios |
| Log every course correction | Track decisions and outcomes |
Next steps for aspiring ocean racers Practical guidance for students and alumni who want to join the race
For those in the LBS community feeling the pull of the Southern Ocean more strongly than the pull of the lecture theater, the path from classroom to crew starts with building credible miles and a compelling story. Begin by surrounding yourself with water: join local yacht clubs on the Thames or Solent, volunteer as delivery crew, and sign up for RYA-certified courses that prove you can handle a night watch, a logbook and a squall. Treat every regatta, tide-swept weekend and freeze-cold dawn start as data points that will later sit on your sailing CV alongside consulting projects and case competitions. Simultaneously occurring,use your LBS network like a chart plotter-connect with alumni who have raced offshore,invite skippers to campus events,and turn coffee chats into opportunities to understand the emotional and financial realities of life at 35 knots of apparent wind.
Preparation is not just nautical, it is indeed also strategic. Prospective ocean racers need to plan around careers,tuition,and the cost of a berth,so build a simple campaign plan that integrates internships,savings and sponsorship outreach. Consider the following focus areas as you map your route from campus to circumnavigation:
- Skills: Invest in safety-at-sea training, offshore qualifications and basic sail repair.
- Fitness: Prioritise functional strength, stamina and injury prevention over aesthetics.
- Finance: Budget early, explore scholarships, alumni backing and corporate sponsorship.
- Storytelling: Document your journey on LinkedIn or a blog to attract support and future opportunities.
| Stage | Key Action | Typical Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| On Campus | Join sailing clubs, start RYA training | Term 1-2 |
| Early Offshore | Log night sails, short races | 6-12 months |
| Campaign Build | Secure funding, apply to race programmes | 12-18 months |
| Pre-Start | Full training, crew integration | 3-6 months before departure |
The Conclusion
As the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race fleet continues its progress across the world’s oceans, the London Business School crew’s journey is only partly measured in nautical miles. The campaign has already tested leadership under pressure, sharpened decision-making in volatile conditions and underscored the value of teamwork in a confined, high-stakes surroundings.
What happens on board will not stay at sea. The lessons drawn from night watches, storm fronts and split-second tactical calls are already feeding back into classrooms, research and boardrooms. In the months ahead, as the yacht moves through new legs and new weather systems, we will continue to follow how this unique laboratory of learning at sea shapes the next generation of business leaders-and how, in turn, their insights may help chart a steadier course through uncertainty on land.
