Clare Mary Francis (born 17 April 1946) is a British novelist who was first known for her career as a yachtswoman who has twice sailed across the Atlantic on her own and she was the first woman to captain a successful boat on the Whitbread Around the World race.

Early life

Francis was born in

Thames Ditton Thames Ditton is a suburban village on the River Thames, in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Apart from a large inhabited island in the river, it lies on the southern bank, centred 12.2 miles (19.6 km) southwest of Charing Cross ...

in Surrey and spent summer holidays on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

, where she learnt to sail. She was educated at the

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

, then gained a degree in Economics at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

Sailing

In 1973, after working in marketing for three years, she took leave to sail singlehandedly across the Atlantic in the Nicholson 32 ''Gulliver G'', departing from Falmouth in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

and arriving, 37 days later, at

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

. Following this, she received sponsorship to take part in the 1974

Round Britain Race Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the number ...

with Eve Bonham, again in ''Gulliver G''. They finished in third place. In 1975, she took part in the Azores and Back and the L'Aurore singlehanded races; and, in 1976, she competed in the ''Observer'' Singlehanded Transatlantic Race in her Ohlson 38 yacht ''Robertson's Golly'', finishing thirteenth overall and setting a new women's single-handed transatlantic record. She also took part in that year's L'Aurore singlehanded race. During 1977 and 1978, she became the first woman to skipper a yacht in the

Whitbread Round the World Race The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, British brewing company Whitbread, in 2001 it became the Volvo Ocean Rac ...

, finishing in fifth place in her

Swan 65 The Swan 65 is a large Fibre glass fin+keeled masthead ketch- or sloop-rigged sailing yacht design, manufactured by Nautor's Swan. It was introduced as the new flagship of Nautor in 1973. At the time of its launch it was the largest GRP constr ...

''ADC Accutrac''. 3rd Worthing Scout Group (in Worthing, West Sussex, England) have named their 3 cub packs after famous solo sailors. 'Francis' Cub Pack is named in honour of Clare Francis.

Personal life

Francis married a draughtsman named Jacques Redon in 1977. He became a crew member on her yacht. They divorced in 1986. The marriage produced one child. Francis suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome and is a trustee of the UK charity

Action for ME Action for ME is a charitable organisation and self-help group based in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the ...

Writing

After writing three accounts of her experiences while sailing, she turned to fiction and is the author of eight best-sellers.Clare Francis
at fantasticfiction.co.uk.

Publications

Fiction

*''Night Sky'' (1983) *''Red Crystal'' (1985) *''Wolf Winter'' (1987) *''Requiem'' (1989) *''The Killing Winds'' (1992) *''Deceit'' (1993) *''Betrayal'' (1995) *''A Dark Devotion'' (1997) *''Keep Me Close'' (1999) *''A Death Divided'' (2001) *''Homeland'' (2003) *''Unforgotten'' (2008)

Short stories

*"The Holiday" (2005), published in ''The Detection Collection'', edited by

Simon Brett Simon Anthony Lee Brett OBE FRSL (born 28 October 1945 in Worcester Park, Surrey, England) is a British author of detective fiction, a playwright, and a producer-writer for television and radio. As an author, he is best known for his mystery s ...

Non-fiction

*''Woman Alone'' (1977) *''Come Hell or High Water'' (1977) *''Come Wind or Weather'' (1978) *''The Commanding Sea'' (1981)

As editor

*''A Feast of Stories'' (1996 anthology; co-edited)

References

External links

Clare Francis's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Clare 1946 births Living people Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Thames Ditton People educated at the Royal Ballet School Alumni of University College London English female sailors (sport) Single-handed sailors Volvo Ocean Race sailors Circumnavigators of the globe 20th-century British women writers 21st-century British women writers British women novelists 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists People with chronic fatigue syndrome