Seb Clover
Encyclopedia
Sebastian Clover, more commonly known as Seb Clover (born 15 January 1987) from East Cowes
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. 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.
, a co-educational independent school
on the Isle of Wight
, followed by the University of Plymouth
, in 2005.
on 12 January 2003, Seb raced his father across the Atlantic Ocean for 2700 nautical miles (5,000.4 km) 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.
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. His priority became to keep the mast
standing and finish without pushing the boat too much.
Seb eventually lost the race and arrived in Antigua a day behind his father when he was 15 years and 362 days old. He lost his title in January 2007, when Michael Perham
made the crossing at the age of 14.
in the second edition of Britain's Brilliant Prodigies Awards. He also received the Young Sportsman Award in the BBC South Sports Awards 2003 and the Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year Award 2003 which was announced at the Schroders London Boat Show.
East Cowes
East Cowes is a town and civil parish to the north of the Isle of Wight, on the east bank of the River Medina next to its neighbour on the west bank, Cowes....
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was the youngest person to sail across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
single-handed
Single-handed sailing
The sport of single-handed sailing or solo sailing is sailing with only one crewmember . The term is usually used with reference to ocean and long-distance sailing, and particularly competitive sailing....
before Michael Perham
Michael Perham
Michael Perham is a young adventurer from Potters Bar who, at the age of 17 years and 164 days, became the youngest person to sail around the world solo in the 50 ft racing yacht totallymoney.com, completing his journey on 27 August 2009...
took the record from him in 2007. He also did a solo crossing of the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
when he was 11, which directly resulted in his mother daring him to try crossing the Atlantic Ocean next.
Education
Clover was educated at Ryde School with Upper ChineRyde School
Ryde School with Upper Chine is a co-educational independent day and boarding school on the Isle of Wight.-Charity 307409 - Ryde School:...
, a co-educational independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, followed by the University of Plymouth
University of Plymouth
Plymouth University is the largest university in the South West of England, with over 30,000 students and is 9th largest in the United Kingdom by total number of students . It has almost 3,000 staff...
, in 2005.
The record
From 19 December 2002 to 12:50 GMTGreenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United...
on 12 January 2003, Seb raced his father across the Atlantic Ocean for 2700 nautical miles (5,000.4 km) between Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital , second-most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the 21st largest city in Spain, with a population of 222,417 in 2009...
on the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and Nelson's Dockyard
Nelson's Dockyard
Nelson's Dockyard is a cultural heritage site and marina in English Harbour, Antigua. It is part of Nelson's Dockyard National Park, which also contains Clarence House and Shirley Heights...
on Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
. Both father and son sailed identical 32 feet (9.8 m) Contessa 32
Contessa 32
The Contessa 32 is a 9.75 metre fibreglass monohull sailboat, designed in 1970 by David Sadler of Great Britain in collaboration with Jeremy Rogers, the builder. Rigged as a masthead sloop, with a fin keel and a skeg-mounted rudder, the Contessa 32 is classified as a cruiser-racer...
yachts. Seb made the crossing in a yacht called Reflection, his father in one called Xixia.
The voyage did not pass without problems. Both racers had unnerving close encounters with killer whales and rigging
Rigging
Rigging is the apparatus through which the force of the wind is used to propel sailboats and sailing ships forward. This includes masts, yards, sails, and cordage.-Terms and classifications:...
problems meant Seb was unable to catch up with his father. He had to repair a shroud
Shroud (sailing)
On a sailboat, the shrouds are pieces of standing rigging which hold the mast up from side to side. There is frequently more than one shroud on each side of the boat....
fixture that broke in heavy weather. His priority became to keep the mast
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
standing and finish without pushing the boat too much.
Seb eventually lost the race and arrived in Antigua a day behind his father when he was 15 years and 362 days old. He lost his title in January 2007, when Michael Perham
Michael Perham
Michael Perham is a young adventurer from Potters Bar who, at the age of 17 years and 164 days, became the youngest person to sail around the world solo in the 50 ft racing yacht totallymoney.com, completing his journey on 27 August 2009...
made the crossing at the age of 14.
Awards
In the aftermath of his achievement, Clover received several awards. He was named Best Prodigy of the Year by the Duchess of YorkDuchess of York
Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of York. The title is gained with marriage alone and is forfeited upon divorce. Four of the twelve Dukes of York did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, therefore there have only ever been eleven...
in the second edition of Britain's Brilliant Prodigies Awards. He also received the Young Sportsman Award in the BBC South Sports Awards 2003 and the Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year Award 2003 which was announced at the Schroders London Boat Show.