Clipper crews settling in to life at sea

The first leg of the Clipper Round The World yacht race is on day 26 and their first port should be in sight soon.

The 12 teams of the race, which has its headquarters in Gosport, have covered thousands of nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

Currently, Visit Seattle, Sanya Serenity Coast and Unicef are in the top three positions on the leaderboard.

According to leading skipper Nikki Henderson, the path to Uruguay is turning into a ‘drag race’.

She said: ‘All of us are screaming along at courses, under white sails of varying sizes, straight lining to Uruguay.

‘I imagine things will start to get more interesting in the next couple of days when the wind changes.’

For the 12 crews, life on board has come part of their routine having left Liverpool 26 days ago and not been on land since.

Skipper of second-placed Sanya Serenity Coast Wendy Tuck said: ‘Another day on a lean is another day closer we are getting to Punta del Este.

‘I think it’s a bit early yet, but we have already started talking about what we will eat and drink when we arrive.’

People from Portsmouth and the surrounding area have signed up to do legs of this year’s 11-month Clipper race.