| Sebastian Clover | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 15, 1987 |
| Residence | East Cowes, Isle of Wight, England |
| Other names | Seb Clover |
| Education | Ryde School with Upper Chine, Isle of Wight University of Plymouth |
| Occupation | yachtsman |
| Known for | Sailing solo across the Atlantic at 15. |
| Parents | Dolores and Ian Clover |
Sebastian Clover, more commonly known as Seb Clover (born 15 January 1987)[1][2] from East Cowes[3] on the Isle of Wight, England, was the youngest person to sail across the Atlantic Ocean single-handed before Michael Perham took the record from him in 2007.[3] He also did a solo crossing of the English Channel when he was 11, which directly resulted in his mother daring him to try crossing the Atlantic Ocean next.[4]
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Clover was educated at Ryde School with Upper Chine, a co-educational independent school on the Isle of Wight,[5] followed by the University of Plymouth, in 2005.[6]
From 19 December 2002 to 12:50 GMT[4] on 12 January 2003,[1] Seb raced his father across the Atlantic Ocean for 2,700 nautical miles (5,000 km)[7] between Santa Cruz de Tenerife on the Canary Islands and Nelson's Dockyard on Antigua. Both father and son sailed identical 32 feet (9.8 m) Contessa 32 yachts. Seb made the crossing in a yacht called Reflection, his father in one called Xixia.[4]
The voyage did not pass without problems. Both racers had unnerving close encounters with killer whales and rigging problems meant Seb was unable to catch up with his father. He had to repair a shroud fixture that broke in heavy weather.[8] His priority became to keep the mast standing and finish without pushing the boat too much.[9]
Seb eventually lost the race and arrived in Antigua a day behind his father[8][10] when he was 15 years and 362 days old.[1] He lost his title in January 2007, when Michael Perham made the crossing at the age of 14.[11]
In the aftermath of his achievement, Clover received several awards. He was named Best Prodigy of the Year by the Duchess of York in the second edition of Britain's Brilliant Prodigies Awards.[12] He also received the Young Sportsman Award in the BBC South Sports Awards 2003[13] and the Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year Award 2003 which was announced at the Schroders London Boat Show.[8]