Race passes through Pentland Firth

Twelve 70 foot racing yachts taking part in the world’s longest ocean race look to be passing through the Pentland Firth today.

The yachts are taking part in the 2013-14 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, which left London on September 1 last year, and are set to return to the capital later this month, after racing 40,000 miles, visiting 14 ports on six continents along the way.

The yachts have stopped off in the French Port of Brest before embarking on a tour which has taken in Rio, Cape Town, Australia, Singapore, Qingdao, San Francisco, Panama, Jamaica, New York and Londonderry – and will be concluded by a homecoming in London later this month.

Following a spectacular send-off from Derry-Londonderry by the Red Arrows and large crowds, the penultimate race of the series, the OneDLL Cup to Den Helder in the Netherlands, is underway, which includes taking in the Pentland Firth.

This near 800 mile race is described as a tactical challenge with the teams needing to choose early on where to position the yacht to take best advantage of the strong tides that flow round the British Isles.

Further details can be found online, where the yachts can also be tracked: www.clipperroundtheworld.com