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The Ocean Globe Race (OGR) is a fully crewed retro race in the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race. It marks the 50th anniversary of the original event.

It’s an eight-month adventure around the world for ordinary sailors on normal yachts. Racing ocean-going GRP production yachts designed before 1988, there will be no computers, no satellites, no GPS, and no high-tech materials. Sextants, team spirit and raw determination alone in the great traditions of ocean racing are allowed on this truly human endeavor. These will be real heroes pushing each other to the limit and beyond – in a real race!

Following the success of the 2018 Golden Globe Race , the concept of retro, fully crewed, traditional ocean racing around the globe has returned.

Don McIntyre – 8 minutes on ‘Who What How When Where and Why of the OGR’

Yesterday and Today

The 1968 sunday times golden globe race was the first ever around-the-world yacht race..

It was an adventure to determine who could be the first to circumnavigate the globe solo, nonstop without assistance. Nine sailors started, only one finished. It was an epic tale won by the least expected to win – Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in the 32ft timber ketch  Suhaili . He established a world record in the same year that footsteps first appeared on the surface of the Moon. A few years later, the British yachting establishment organised the first ever fully crewed yacht race around the world. With backing from  Whitbread Breweries  and following in the wake of the great clipper ships, the legend that became known simply as ‘The Whitbread’ was born in 1973.

18 yachts lined up for the start on a sunny Saturday morning in Portsmouth England on 8 September 1973. Two more would join for later legs. It was an adventure, a family affair even, in yachts from 45ft to 74ft.

The race would take them first to Cape Town, South Africa and on to Sydney Australia, before heading deep south around the infamous Cape Horn to Rio de Janeiro and finally back up to Portsmouth – 27,000 miles later. A total of 324 crew were involved. Sadly, three would never return; lost overboard during Southern Ocean storms. Five yachts retired and three were dismasted. This race was also won by the least expected to win; a family crew with friends, sailing a standard production Swan 65 yacht,  Sayula II , skippered by Mexican Ramón Carlin.

It was a fantastic race. A true adventure filled with real stories of human endeavour, colour and challenges on the high seas.

For the next 20 years the adventure continued with a  Whitbread Round the World Race  staged every four years. Sailors of all levels, ages and backgrounds were able to follow their dreams. They signed on and circumnavigated the globe – in a race.

Yachts became steadily faster, and costs began to climb. The fifth edition in 1989 saw one entry spend £6million in an unsuccessful bid to win. The 6th edition in 1993 brought huge change and sadly the end for most sailors hoping to be part of this ultimate challenge. By then, the  Whitbread Race  had evolved into a fully professional event. In the words of the organisers, it was now the Formula 1 of Grand Prix ocean yacht racing. Ordinary sailors with their dreams could only spectate.

A growing international audience, advancing technology and huge budgets led eventually to Volvo taking over the race. They transformed the event into a nautical extravaganza of stunning proportions with elite sailors that we have all grown to respect. Peak athletes all, sailing a few grand prix, state of the art, one-design yachts, driven by computers, all with comprehensive shore support ready to pick up the pieces. These spectacular Volvo yachts left the clipper ships in their wake in every sense!

Today, these high budget boats chase records across the planet to dazzle at race villages and big budget spectacles. Currently in a state of transition, the newly renamed Ocean Race is stepping up again, reinventing itself in exciting ways with IMOCA 60 yachts sailed by just five elite crew and autopilots now helming for the first time.

On the 50th anniversary of the original Whitbread Round the World Race,  McIntyre Adventure (organisers of the Golden Globe Race ) and the  Globe Yacht Club  are proud to announce, that after 30 years of spectating, ordinary yacht club sailors and owners everywhere, once again have a chance to race around the globe! We are going back to that first great Whitbread Race and sailing like it’s 1973. The Ocean Globe Race (OGR) is for sailors with a dream and a sense of adventure – pure and simple! Is it YOU?

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Led by a professional Skipper and Mate, you can choose to compete in the full 40,000 nautical mile circumnavigation, or test yourself on one or more of the eight unique race legs to suit your schedule and budget. This bucket list experience can see you taking on the notorious Atlantic, Southern Ocean and North Pacific including stopovers in some of the world's most spectacular destinations.

We take lessons from having raced more than 3 million miles and apply them to our pioneering four-level training. Even if you have never sailed before, our mandatory program will enable you to take on some of the most extreme environments on the planet with confidence. As part of your training package we'll kit you out with cutting edge foul weather gear, tried, tested and approved by the world's top professional sailors.

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Round-the-world racing yachts dock at The Wharf in DC — see them up close

Neal Augenstein | [email protected]

June 17, 2024, 12:03 PM

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The more than 40,000 mile “Clipper Round the World Yacht Race” made an impressive arrival before docking at The Wharf in Southwest D.C. Monday morning.

Eleven clippers will remain there for a week before setting off on the final leg back across the Atlantic Ocean.

Hannah Brewis and a first mate are the only professional sailors on the yacht sponsored by Events DC, which was the first of 11 identical 70-foot racing yachts to dock at The Wharf on Monday morning.

“The rest of the crew is made up of total amateurs, with a wide difference, variety of sailing experience,” Brewis said, standing on the dock, shortly after the D.C. team was welcomed by several dozen early-morning supporters. “Some have never sailed, some have sailed a little bit.”

The trip began Sept. 3, 2023, in Portsmouth, U.K., where the race will finish.

“We’ve been to Spain. We’ve been to Uruguay, South Africa, Australia, Vietnam, China, Seattle, Panama — that’s our route so far, and now, finally into Washington, D.C.,” Brewis said.

The race leg from Panama ended near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on Friday and Saturday. Monday morning’s travels to The Wharf was a short commute for the yachts, which also caused an approximately 15-minute delay for commuters in vehicles.

“We had to wait for it to be opened. The tricky part was we had to make sure the fleet was there at exactly 4:45 in the morning,” Brewis said. The Virginia Department of Transportation has warned commuters to expect a brief delay.

🚧Traffic Alert – #Alexandria : Woodrow Wilson Bridge (I-495/I-95) to open at approx 4:45 am today and tomorrow, Mon 6/17 & Tues 6/18, to allow passage of 11 yachts as part of Clipper 2023-24 Round the World Yacht Race. Expect delays. #DMVTraffic More: https://t.co/Tq21o3rWry pic.twitter.com/eYu15PxIom — VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) June 17, 2024

“We got there with perfect timing. We all transited through, no stress. It was really great, it was really cool,” Brewis said.

The yachts will remain docked at The Wharf all week. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, “you can actually come onboard, and see what it’s like to be on one of these big ocean racing yachts,” Brewis said.

On Tuesday, the clippers will set off on the race’s final leg across the Atlantic, heading toward Portsmouth, U.K. The send-off will be open to the public and include fireworks.

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Neal Augenstein has been a general assignment reporter with WTOP since 1997. He says he looks forward to coming to work every day, even though that means waking up at 3:30 a.m.

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The Ocean Race – Everything you need to know

The crewed around the world race with stopovers has always been one of yachting’s premier ocean races and, after several delays this latest edition is set to start on 15 January 2023.

The race organisers are also running a new event designed to showcase top-flight, fully-crewed, competitive offshore racing based around northern Europe: the Ocean Race Europe.

The Ocean Race is scheduled to run every four years, with the Ocean Race Europe also planned to take place every four years, essentially allowing competition between the teams to take place every two years in one form or another.

It’s unusual for IMOCA 60s to race with more than two crew onboard.

What boats compete in The Ocean Race?

For the first time ever IMOCA 60s will be taking part in a fully crewed round the world race this year, with several teams set to take part.

The IMOCA 60 class has long been at the forefront of ocean racing and is used for the solo non-stop round the world epic, the Vendée Globe as well as a number of other premiere short handed ocean events such as the Route du Rhum and Transat Jaques Vabre .

However, the IMOCA 60s have always been designed and built with single and double handed racing in mind, so teams competing will have had to make significant changes to their semi-foiling 60 footers to make them capable of sailing with a full crew.

The IMOCAs are sailed by a complement of five crew, including an onboard reporter (OBR) that takes no part in the sailing. Each IMOCA 60 team has to include at least one female sailor.

VO65s no longer go for a third lap of the planet. Photo: Robin Christol

What is The Ocean Race Sprint Cup?

Initially the intention was for two fleets to take part in The Ocean Race proper with the second fleet consisting on the one design VO65 boats used in the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.

However, plans have since changed and while the IMOCA 60s will complete a full lap of the planet, including seven legs to finish in Genoa, Italy, the VO65s will sail just the first and last two legs in what the organisers have called The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup .

A new trophy will be awarded to the VO65 team which accumulates the best score across three legs of the race; Alicante, Spain, to Cape Verde; Aarhus, Denmark, to The Hague, the Netherlands; and The Hague to the overall finish in Genoa, Italy.

What is The Ocean Race course?

The course for The Ocean Race has a new first stopover mid-Atlantic at the Cape Verdes, before an extra long Southern Ocean leg of 12,750 miles from Cape Town, South Africa, to Itajai, Brazil. This new stage passes south of all three Great Capes and is expected to take 34 days.

After this mammoth Southern Ocean leg, the fleet then moves onto a series of much shorter legs. From Brazil they head to Newport, USA. They then cross the Atlantic to Aarhus, DEN. After that a very short hop from Aarhus to The Hague, NED fore a race from The Hague back to Genova, ITA.

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Kevin Escoffier’s IMOCA Holcim-PRB, competing in the The Ocean Race, has annihilated the 24-hour monohull sailing record by covering an incredible 640.9 miles on the fifth leg from Newport to Aarhus. This…

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Published on July 14th, 2024 | by Editor

Clipper fleet arrives in Scotland

Published on July 14th, 2024 by Editor -->

The 11 teams in the 2023-24 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race completed the penultimate leg, arriving from July 12 to 14 in Oban, Scotland. First to arrive was Perseverance which was in the leading pack for much of the 3,300 nm course from Washington, DC, and with the team playing its Joker – meaning it would double any race points awarded – this win takes them just three points shy of the overall lead.

“It’s incredible. What a race! There were lot of tactics, and I could not be prouder to win this particular race,” noted Perseverance Skipper Ineke van der Weijden. “The crew have been fantastic, whether they are round the worlders or crew that have just joined. They gave everything they had, and for most of the time Joss and I sat back, they just knew what to do. They are as motivated as Joss, and I are.”

Additional Qualified Person (AQP) Joss Creswell added: “It was super tight to begin with, the boats were all together. We fell back, we came forward. It’s always worth remembering with the whole of the crew that it was always going to be back and forth. My previous job was based here in Oban so to sail back in here was so special. It was cool, but very emotional, and I am very glad I’m home.”

Arriving in second place, after battling it out with Perseverance right down to the wire, it was Zhuhai who took its eighth podium of the edition. Skipper James Finney said from on board: “Well that was a tough race. It had a bit of everything, we lost the pack, found them again, had some brilliant sailing, some brilliant wind holes. It was a good ocean crossing, a good one to finish on.

“Hopefully we have secured our place in the top three, which was the goal for this race. I guess the next step is to beat Perseverance in the next race. We will really enjoy the next one.”

On taking second place, Finney added: “We just missed out on the steady breeze, we came through about 20 miles away, and then it just died. It was quite a long six or so hours!”

And taking third place, and no stranger to the podium, it was overall leader Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam. “We’re still in with a chance overall, some teams had played Jokers, but that Scoring Gate was pretty important to us,” said Skipper Bob Beggs. “We’re really happy. There is no strategy going forwards, let’s win! We’re going to give it our best.”

The final race is from Oban to Portsmouth, UK (815nm) which starts July 21 with an expected arrival on July 27.

Race details – Team list – Race route – Tracker – Facebook

2023-24 edition will take the following route (updated):

Leg 1 Race 1. Portsmouth, UK – Puerto Sherry, Spain (1200nm) – 3 Sept Race Start, arrive 9 Sept Race 2. Puerto Sherry, Spain – Punta del Este, Uruguay (5300nm) – 15 Sept Race Start, arrive 12-16 Oct

Leg 2 Race 3. Punta Del Este, Uruguay – Cape Town, South Africa (3555 nm)- 22 Oct Race start, arrive 6-10 Nov

Leg 3 Race 4. Cape Town, South Africa – Fremantle, Australia (4750 nm) – 18 Nov Race Start, arrive 8-13 Dec

Leg 4 Race 5. Fremantle, Australia – Newcastle, Australia (2510nm) – Race Start 19 Dec, Arrival 1-4 Jan 2024 Race 6. Newcastle – Airlie Beach, Australia (985nm) – Race Start 10 Jan, Arrive 16-17 Jan

Leg 5 Race 7. Airlie Beach, Australia – Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam (4515nm) – Race Start 28 Jan, Arrive 21-26 Feb Race 8. Ha Long Bay – Zhuhai, China (645nm) – Race Start 2 March, Arrive 6-7 March

Leg 6 Race 9. Zhuhai, China – Qingdao, China (1370nm) – Race Start 12 March- Arrive 21-22 March Race 10. Qingdao – Seattle, USA (5580nm) – Race Start 27 March, Arrive 21-26 April

Leg 7 Race 11. Seattle, USA – Panama Canal (4200nm) – Race Start 5 May, Arrive Panama 27 May-1 Jun Race 12. Panama-Washington, DC, USA (1990nm) – Race Start 5 June, Arrive 17-19 June

Leg 8 Race 13. Washington, DC, USA – Oban, Scotland (3340nm) – Race Start 25 June, Arrive 12-16 July Race 14. Oban – Portsmouth, UK (815nm) – Race Start 21 July, Arrive 27 July

About the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race: The Clipper Race was established in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world in 1968-69. His aim was to allow anyone, regardless of previous sailing experience, the chance to embrace the thrill of ocean racing; it is the only event of its kind for amateur sailors.

Held biennially, the Clipper 2023-24 Round the World Yacht Race got underway September 3 for the fleet of eleven identical Tony Castro designed Clipper 70s. This 13th edition has 24 crew aboard each yacht, coming from 63 different nationalities (105 sailors from the USA) for the 40,000 mile circumnavigation of the world.

The course is divided into 8 legs and 14 individual races, with some of the crew in for the entire circumnavigation while others will do individual legs. The team having the best cumulative score over the entire course will win the Clipper Race Trophy.

Source: Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

Tags: Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

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‘Spectacular’ welcome into Scotland for round the world yacht crews

Crews taking part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race arrived in Oban on Friday – the first time the race has come to Scotland.

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• Argyll and Bute

A Scot taking part in a gruelling round the world yacht race told how arriving in her home country was “really special”.

Vicki Leslie spoke after boats in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race arrived in Oban on Friday night – the first time the race has ever come to Scotland.

The event sees people from different countries who have no previous experience of sailing take part in the 40,000 nautical mile race around the world, after first completing an intensive course to gain the necessary skills for life on board.

This year’s contest saw them set off from Portsmouth on September 3, 2023, with this penultimate leg of the challenge seeing them cross the Atlantic, sailing from Washington DC to Oban.

Ms Leslie, who is part of the crew on board the Ha Long Viet Nam boat said that coming into Scotland was “really special for me”.

She added: “It’s amazing to be back here, and thankfully it’s not raining.”

The final leg of the race will see the crews sail back to Portsmouth, with Ms Leslie adding: “It doesn’t feel real that it’s almost over – it’s bittersweet.

“It’s amazing to have done it, but it’s sad it’s almost over.”

The penultimate leg of the race was won by the Perserverance team, led by Dutch skipper Ineke van der Weijden, who said: “To arrive here tonight was spectacular, it’s so amazing here in Scotland.

“We had a plane fly over, sail boats come out to meet us, RIBs (rigid inflatable boats) come out to meet us, it was such a fantastic thing.”

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Oban to make history as first Scottish host port in iconic Clipper Round the World yacht race

Here's everything you need to know as 11 yachts and their crews sail into town.

Oban is set to be taken over by racing yachts this weekend as the town hosts Clipper Round the World.

11 yachts and their crews will sail into the town’s North Pier on Friday, staying until July 21- when they’ll set off in a race to the finish line in Portsmouth.

Clipper Round the World is described as “one of the biggest challenges of the natural world and an endurance test like no other” and sees teams race 40,000 miles around the world on a 70-foot ocean racing yacht.

Oban is the penultimate stopover and the first Scottish host port in the history of  the iconic race.

To celebrate, a series of events are being held, some in a new outdoor area on the grounds of the Rockfield Centre.

It’s a coup for local organising group Love Oban, BID4Oban, Wild About Argyll and Argyll and Bute Council.

Oban is Scotland’s first host port

Andrew Spence of BID4Oban , said: “We want to warmly welcome people to Oban to see this wonderful event.

“It’s the first time that a host port has been in Scotland.”

He says the town is ready to bring the party with opportunities to get up close to the boats and meet the crews who have sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to be in the town.

He continued: “Some of the crews aboard the yachts are people who have been in the town and have been on training boats here.

“So for them, it will be coming back to a place they already know.

“There is going to be a great atmosphere in the town, and it will be an event that will be long remembered in Oban’s history.”

11 Clippers in the race

There are 11 Clippers in the fleet who are on a journey of more than 40,000 nautical miles around the globe. They are:

Our Isles and Oceans , skippered by Stirling-born Max Rivers, 29. it is home turf for the Isle of Wight resident as he learned to sail on the West Coast. He has a crew of 63.

Washington, DC , crewed by Englishwoman Hannah Brewis, 26. She has a crew of 67.

Ha Long Bay Viet Nam is crewed by Bob Beggs, 64, from Plymouth. He has a crew of 64.

Bekezela, skippered by Welshman David Hartshorn, 58, and crewed by 66 people.

Dare to Lead , crewed with 73 men and women, South African Ryan Gibson, 34, is the Clipper’s skipper.

Yacht Club Punta Del Esta is skippered by Nano Antia Bernardez, 33, a Uruguayan and Portuguese national. He has a crew of 66.

Perseverance is crewed by 66 people and skippered by Dutch woman Ineke Van Der Weijden, 49. She has raced competitively since she was 18.

Qingdao has Phillip Quinn, 57, as its skipper. He is from County Down in Ireland. he is joined onboard with 65 crew.

PSP Logistics is skippered Mike Miller, 54, who grew up in Singapore. He has a crew of 65.

UNICEF is skippered by Dan Bodey, 32. He is from Essex. He says of his 65 crew, they “make the Clipper race”.

Zhuhai has a crew of 70 people, James Finney, 28, from Southampton is the skipper.

Where to park in Oban for Clipper Round the World

Parking in the bay and esplanade area is going to be extremely limited during the Clippers’ stay in Oban .

But as well as car parks near Tesco and the Corran Halls in the town centre, extra space has been made available at Oban High School, Mossfield Stadium and Oban Primary Campus.

If you don’t mind a mile-and-a-half walk into town, people can also park for free at Pennyfuir Cemetery, or pay for parking at Ganavan.

Free events in Oban for Clipper Round the World

There are lots of free events organised for the Clippers’ arrival and stopover in Oban.

12 -16 July: Clippers arrive in Oban and berth at the North Pier pontoons

13-14 July: WASZP Race. Oban Sailing Club hosts a sailing Scottish championship, event. Starts at 12 noon at Oban Sailing Club

14 July: Royal Yachting Association beach clean, meet at Dunstaffnage Castle. 11am until 4pm

15 July: Oban Sailing Club Monday Mayhem, young sailors taking part in a dingy race. 6-9pm

15 -19 July: Ocean Science Busking on the North Pier. Learn about science advances in the ocean, 10am-4pm

16 – 21 July: Clipper Race Fanzone. Learn all about the Clipper race and how you can get involved in the next edition, 9am-5pm

16 July: Oban Sailing Club Keel Boats. Racing around the bay, from 6pm

17-19 July: Blasad Gaidhlig Gaelic taster sessions in the Furan Centre at the Corran Halls, 2pm – 3.30pm

17-21 July: Food and Drink Village. All the very best of food and crafts from Argyll and the Isles, 11am – 4pm

17 July: Chop for Charity. Join the Clipper race crew in Cuan Mor for haircuts and beard trims. Donations to Unicef and The Little Princess Trust, 1pm- 4pm

17 July: Autism on the Water at Oban Sailing Club. Free activities for people with autism and their carers/ parents, 11am- 4pm

18 – 19 July:  Tour a Clipper 70 racing yacht, North Pier Pontoon, 10am – 6pm

20 July: Rotary Club Duck Race at the Black Lynn River, ducks for sale from Friday July 19 in Station Square, 3pm

20 July: RNLI Lifejacket Clinic and Water Safety North Pier, 10am – 4pm

20 July: Lions Club The Great Oban Bay Raft Race, town centre,  1pm. Register at Kwik Fit or The Royal Hotel in advance

21 July:  Farewell to the Clipper Race

• crew parade from Station Square from 10.30am
• Slipping the line from 12-12.30pm
• Parade of Sail from 1pm at Kerrera Marina across Oban Bay past Dunollie Lighthouse out to Dunstaffnage
• Clipper race to start at Dunstaffnage at 3pm for their final journey to Portsmouth and to end the 40,000 nautical mile race

There are other ticketed events over the course of the Clippers’ visit to the town.

This includes events at the Corran Halls, Dunollie Castle, a sold-out Ceilidh Dance and a concert by Skerryvore on July 20.

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Newport Bermuda Race Goes the Way of the Classic

• By Kate Somers
• July 9, 2024

The 53rd Newport Bermuda Race officially concluded on June 29 as winners and award recipients were honored at the Race’s Prize Giving Ceremony at the Pier 6 Complex on Front Street. The ceremony caps off nearly two weeks of festivities in both Rhode Island and Bermuda surrounding the storied sailing race.

This year’s Bermuda Race was as exciting and challenging as ever—featuring a series of fronts causing tricky conditions near the start and a characteristically choppy crossing of the Gulf Stream. Of the 162 boats that started in Newport, 147 crossed the finish line and docked at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in Hamilton. Fifteen boats retired, including the two boats that abandoned ship on the course. All crew of each of the participating boats arrived safely on land.

For the first time in its 118-year history, the Bermuda Race started off the coast of Newport’s Fort Adams, extending the historic course by 1 mile. After leaving Newport, boats reported light winds and slow sailing speeds, thanks to weather patterns moving from the north off the coast of New England. Proteus , a JV72, reported a dismasting at approximately 1:50 a.m. on Saturday, June 22. All crew were safe and the boat motored back to Newport after retiring from the race. Later Saturday, the breeze filled in, and the boats began making quick progress along the rhumbline toward Bermuda.

At 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 23, the crew of Alliance , a J/122 reported a water ingress and ultimately made the decision to abandon ship. Fellow competitors came to the boat’s assistance, and by 4:00 a.m. all of Alliance ’s crew had been brought safely aboard James Coggeshall’s J/122 Ceilidh to sail onward.

Following Sunday morning’s rescue, other boats in the fleet reported choppy seas in and beyond the Gulf Stream. Throughout the day, anticipation built up for the arrival of the first boats in Bermuda. Roy Disney’s Pyewacket 70 was the first to cross the finish line at 1:37 a.m. Monday with a corrected time of two days 11 hours and 17 minutes. Also finishing Monday morning were Allegra (corrected time two days 13 hours and 31 minutes) and OC 86 (corrected time two days 12 hours and 19 minutes).

Several vessels completed the race on Monday, and the Live Results were able to project that Summer Storm 52 —owned and skippered by Andy Berdon—would become the overall winner of the Gibbs Hill Division with a corrected time of 2 days 10 hours and 32 minutes. Navigator Chris Lewis, who also won the 52nd Bermuda Race, attributed the win to getting off the coast of Rhode Island early and avoiding the weather that stalled other boats.

A unique aspect of this year’s race was the Gulf Stream, as well as boats’ strategies to get and stay in the advantageous current. This year, sailors said they sometimes experienced close to a 5-knot push toward Bermuda. The trick then became exiting at the right moment.

 “As much as we were all enjoying the ride, we needed to figure out when to get off the ride,” said Lewis at the Navigator’s Forum—held as a debrief after the race. There is an old adage to not go east of the rhumbline but Lewis says they hedged their bets to stay in the Gulf Stream’s meander longer at the risk of going more upwind as they got closer to Bermuda.

Two top competitors in the St. David’s Lighthouse Division, Carina (corrected time 2 days 16 hours 12 minutes) and Hound (corrected time of 2 days 16 hours 25 minutes), arrived in Bermuda overnight Monday and into Tuesday morning. As ratings were calculated on Tuesday morning, it became clear that Carina would win the division overall, due to a 30-minute penalty being added to Hound ’s corrected time after having crossed the starting line early.

On Tuesday afternoon, the crew of Gunga Din , a Swedish Yachts 41 abandoned ship 80 miles off of Bermuda due to water ingress. The crew of seven was taken aboard Desna , a Tartan 37, unharmed and continued along the course.

Both boats with rescued crews aboard— Ceilidh and Desna —arrived to applause and admiration on the docks of the RBYC. At the awards ceremony Saturday evening, both crews were presented with special plaques recognizing their heroic efforts to rescue their fellow sailors. The crew of Banter , which stood by to assist in the rescue of Alliance , was also recognized.

As the majority of the fleet continued to arrive on Wednesday and Thursday, overall winners were declared in the Double-Handed and Finisterre Divisions. Northeast Wind , a sloop, won Finisterre with a corrected time of 2 days 15 hours and 54 minutes. “We had the right boat, with the right conditions, and the right team,” said skipper Frank Sobchak.

Fearless , a Sunfast 3300, took the Double-Handed title with a corrected time of 3 days 4 hours and 23 minutes. Phil Hayden and Alexander Brock Kraebel co-skippered the boat, which had more than 500 virtual crew mates through Hayden’s non-profit Sail for Epilepsy. The organization works to inspire people with epilepsy and help them lead fuller lives, raise awareness about the disease, and support the search for a cure.

Along with trophies for division winners, special awards and recognitions were given to various members of this year’s fleet. Award winners include WaveWalker (William L. Glenn Family Participation Prize), OC 80 (Stephens Brothers Youth Prize), and Carina , Summer Storm , and In Theory as part of the Storm Trysail Red team (H. Irving Pratt Trophy).

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The most boats ever will compete in the 100th Bayview Yacht Club race to Mackinac Island

B illed on its website as the “world’s longest continuously run long-distance freshwater yacht race,” the 100th Bayview Mackinac Race is set to start Saturday.

A record-setting 334 boats have registered for the 100th year of the race, shattering the record of 316 in 1985 and a huge contrast compared with the 200 boats that raced last year, said David Stoyka, spokesman for the Bayview Yacht Club, which puts on the race.

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Bayview Yacht Club says boats start leaving the Black River in Port Huron around 8 a.m. on race day and will continue leaving until around noon. From the Black River, they will proceed up the St. Clair River, under the Blue Water Bridge, into Lake Huron.

The first scheduled start time in Lake Huron is 11:30 a.m., with starts every 10 minutes until approximately 1:30 p.m. The starts may be delayed due to weather conditions.

This year, for the 100th running, the race will follow the original 1925 route and span 204 nautical miles. From the starting point, the boats will head north along the Michigan shoreline, passing south of Bois Blanc Island, sailing west to east at the finish line between Round Island and Mackinac Island, organizers said.

The range of boats are expected to finish in between 30 and 60 hours.

The sailors

Teams at all skill levels have entered the race, which draws competitors from around the world.  The highly skilled racers know they will cross the bow of competitors within inches. Still, there's always risk of a crash with the slightest miscalculation.

"Everybody recognizes this is super intense," said champion sailor  Tim Prophit , 65, of St. Clair Shores, past commodore of Bayview Yacht Club and owner of Fast Tango, a North American 40 sailboat.

The teams are vying for trophies and flags to show their accomplishments.

The J.L. Hudson Trophy is awarded to the boat with the best corrected time in Division I, and the Canadian Club Classic Trophy is awarded to the boat with the best corrected time in Division II.

How can spectators follow the race?

Spectators can go to bycmack.com during the race and click on “RaceTracking” link to watch real-time GPS positioning of all the race boats, or, on your mobile device, download the free app YB Races and select the current race.

Boats will start arriving at Mackinac Island on Sunday afternoon and continue until Monday evening, all dependent upon the wind.

Finishes can be seen from Windermere Point on Mackinac Island at the south end of Main Street.

Sailors who have completed 25 Bayview Mackinac races are called “Old Goats,” according to the club, while those who have completed 50 are called “Grand Rams.” 

"Double Goats" are sailors who have completed 25 Bayview Mackinac races and 25 Chicago Yacht Club race to Mackinac races. This year’s Chicago to Mackinac race encountered strong winds in Lake Michigan , snapping some boats’ masts and tossing one sailor overboard. No one was hurt.

Volunteers who have served for 15 years on the Race Committee are honored with the title “Old Forts,” as designated by the Race Committee.

This story includes material from a staff report by former Free Press reporter Phoebe Wall Howard and from the Bayview Yacht Club.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: The most boats ever will compete in the 100th Bayview Yacht Club race to Mackinac Island

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Oban: What’s on during the inaugural Scottish stopover?

09 July 2024

Whilst Oban may be the final stopover destination of the global Clipper 2023-24 Race route before returning to Portsmouth, it is certainly set to be a stopover to remember as it becomes the first ever Scottish Host Port in the Clipper Race’s 27 year history.

While action on the water enters the final stages, shoreside activity in Oban is gearing up as the Host Port gets ready to welcome some 200 Clipper Race Crew with a special programme of events forming a one-off Festival of the Sea.

Showcasing the best of Scottish food, drink, music, sport and culture, activities get underway from 12 - 21 July 2024. From learning how to play shinty (a Scottish twelve-a-side game, played with curved sticks and taller goalposts) and speaking Gaelic, to discovering the finest Scottish food and drink (including a tour of Oban Distillery), to beach cleans, behind-the-scenes yacht tours, ceilidh dancing and traditional music, there really is something for everyone during Oban’s debut stopover.

Joining us on Oban? Here’s what you can look forward to:

Spectator and Turn Up Events

• 12th - 16th July - Welcome the Clipper Race Fleet - Yachts arrive in Oban and will berth at North Pontoon.
• 13th & 14th July - WASZP Scottish Championships - A competitor only sailing activity providing an exciting spectator opportunity from shore.
• 14th July, 11am - 4pm - RYA Coastal Beach Clean, meet at Dunstaffnage Castle car park - No need to book, just turn up.
• 16th - 21st July - Clipper Race Fanzone - Do you want to learn more about the Clipper Race, the world’s toughest ocean challenge? Then come and visit Clipper Race Fanzone.
• 15th July - Oban Sailing Club Monday Mayhem event - see Oban’s young sailors take part in water events in the bay.
• 15th - 19th July - Ocean Science Busking event, North Pier - Dive into some of the latest advances in our understanding about the ocean: be inspired, amazed, amused and entertained by the team of students, researchers and conservationists.
• 16th July - See Oban Sailing Club Keel Boats Racing around the bay from 6pm.
• 17th - 21st July - Food Village - 10am to 4pm, Rockfield Centre - Come and sample some of Scotland’s finest produce.
• 17th - 19th July - Introductory Gaelic lessons - 2pm to 3.30pm, Corran Halls - no need to book!
• 17th July, 1pm - 4pm - Chop for Charity at Cuan Mor - join Clipper Race crew for a haircut and/or beard trim with donations to UNICEF & The Little Princess Trust. No need to book.
• 18th & 19th July, 11am - 3pm - See and visit Oban’s newest RNLI Lifeboat, The Campbell-Watson at North Pontoon.
• 18th & 19th July, 10am to 6pm - Tour a Clipper 70 racing yacht - Bring the family and step on board a Clipper 70 stripped down ocean racing yacht. Take an above and below deck tour with the Race Crew that have called these yachts home for eleven months - Free at North Pontoon - no need to book!
• 20th July - Rotary Annual Duck Race, 3pm from Black Lynn River - Sponsor a duck for charity at Station Square from Friday 19th.
• 20th July, 10am - 4pm - RNLI Lifejacket Clinic & water safety at North Pier.
• 21st July, 10.30am - Parade of Sail - Watch as the Clipper Race Crew are piped down to the North Pontoons for the race start preparations.
• 21st July, 12pm - Slip the Lines Ceremony, Dunstaffnage - the Clipper Race yachts will start their final stretch to Portsmouth, to complete the circumnavigation.

Book In Advance and Ticketed Events

• 17th & 18th July - 11am & 2pm - Guided walking tours around the town. £12 per person. Book tickets here .
• 18th July - Ocean Kindness: how to use the sea sustainably. A free walking tour with talks, demonstrations and hands-on science at Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). Free mini bus from Corran Halls to SAMS, every 30 mins. Book tickets here.
• 19th July - Clipper Race Discovery Talk: Become an Ocean Racer, 6.30pm - 7.30pm - Hear from the Clipper Race crew and team all about the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. Register your interest here.
• 19th July - Join the Clipper Race crew of Ha Long Bay for their UNICEF fundraiser. A night of quizzing, raffling, and assorted hi-jinks! Ticketed event at The View - Tickets here.
• 20th July - Come join us for an unforgettable night of music with Skerryore in concert - Book tickets here for Corran Halls.
• 20th July, 11am - Pirates, Mermaids and the Ocean at Dunollie Castle - Spend the day and enjoy some nautical themed fun for all ages. Take part in workshops, craft activities, storytelling, and take the explorer’s quest through Dunollie’s enchanting woodland grounds. Enjoy face painting , a special ocean themed lunch menu and homebaking. Fancy dress is welcome. Book tickets here.

For those unable to be in Oban in person, be sure to follow the Clipper Race Facebook and Instagram pages and check back on the News Hub for all the latest from the West Coast of Scotland.

Be sure to keep an eye on the Race Viewer as Race 13: Oban Atlantic Homecoming enters the closing stages.

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Politics latest: Starmer announces £84m to 'grip' migration 'crisis' after summit with European leaders

Sir Keir Starmer pledges to "deepen" UK connection with the EU following European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace. The prime minister announced new funding for humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, the Covid Inquiry concluded government 'failed' to prepare for the pandemic.

Thursday 18 July 2024 20:26, UK

• General Election 2024

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• Sir Keir Starmer announces extra money for humanitarian support in order to 'grip' migration crisis, following summit with European leaders
• The COVID Inquiry released a report on UK preparedness for the pandemic
• Ed Davey and Pat McFadden gave evidence at the Post Office inquiry
• Beth Rigby: How to survive a general election
• Listen: What are Labour's key plans?
• Jon Craig : Sunak apologises to Tory MPs eight times at party 'wake'
• Live reporting by Faith Ridler and (earlier)  Tim Baker

That's it from the Politics Hub today so thanks for joining us. 

Don't forget to tune in to our special documentary tonight, Election: Behind The Scenes At Sky News, airing at 9pm on Sky Documentaries and 10.30pm on Sky Showcase.

You can catch it at 9pm tomorrow night on Sky News too.

Have a good evening!

Finally, we talk about MPs being told to smarten up in the Commons.

Earlier, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said male members needed to "wear a tie or you just might not catch my eye" if they want to speak in a debate.

So how important is it?

Labour's John McDonnell quotes a party colleague, saying: "It's not the smartness of the clothing but the smartness of the decisions you make."

But Conservative Alicia Kearns says they discuss "the most solemn of issues" in the chamber, so there is "something about the respect to the mother of all parliaments" in dressing smartly. 

Now we turn to the director of the thinktank Civil Exchange Caroline Slocock to discuss the first report from the official COVID inquiry. 

It was published today , and said UK citizens were "failed" by their governments' processes, planning and policy leading up to the pandemic. 

Ms Slocock, who was a senior civil servant who worked under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, says the report is "humbling" for government and the civil service, and "speaks to a failure of government".

She adds: "It's time for governments really to think differently about how they plan. I know from, not just from working with those two prime ministers, but also my wider experience of government that it's not very good at thinking ahead or thinking preventatively.

"[Government] tends to be better at crisis management and new initiatives than it is really managing the sorts of underbelly of issues which if you don't get that right, things come back to bite you."

Ms Slocock also echoed the report in her condemnation of so-called "group think" in Whitehall.

She said ministers do not "listen enough to people outside of central government", and that is "vital" in a situation like a pandemic.

Now we move over to our panel, Labour's John McDonnell and Conservative Alicia Kearns.

Ali Fortescue asks Mr McDonnell whether he ever imagined Donald Trump would get back into the White House.

He says after 6 January insurrection, he thought "America had learned his lesson with regard to Trump and his attitude towards the law, the constitution, democracy."

And he says it's "the worst nightmare they could possibly have" in America for its politics.

Ms Kearns agrees with her Labour counterpart over his concerns about what a Trump presidency means for Ukraine too.

Calling it a "grave concern", she added: "It is important we have a partner we can rely on for going forward to Ukraine."

Ali Fortescue then asks Labour's Nick Thomas-Symonds about the looming presence of the US election and the impact a Donald Trump victory could have on support for Ukraine. 

Was it talked about at the EPC summit?

"Well we've been talking here about Europe," he tells Ali. "We've been talking about European solidarity backing President Zelenskyy and Ukraine. 

"In respect of the American presidential election, that is a matter for the American people to decide, whoever they elect as their president. 

"We as the UK government will work with them. We have a special relationship, a deep special relationship forged in the most difficult of historic circumstances, and I've no doubt that will endure into the future."

But surely European politicians have concerns, especially after the announcement of JD Vance as his running mate - who has been very critical of spending American money on a war in Europe. 

"Well, let's let's just see what happens," says Mr Thomas-Symonds. "I'm not going to start going into hypotheticals, starting to anticipate what may or may not happen. 

"What happens here is that the American people have a decision to make. They make that decision. We will respect that decision.

"We will always act in the UK's national interest and work with whoever is the president of the United States, because that is what is in Britain's national interest. And that's precisely what this government will do."

The government's minister for European relations Nick Thomas-Symonds is now talking to Ali Fortescue after what he deemed a successful day at the European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace.

He points to the announcement made by Sir Keir Starmer to fund £84m of projects in Africa and the Middle East to tackle illegal migration at "source" and stopping people feeling the need to flee from their homes in the first place. 

But Ali asks him when the public will see if the plan is working.

"Well, one person who is in those boats putting their lives at risk is one too many," he says. "So we are starting that work now. 

"Of course you will judge, as will the British public judge, its success or failure on whether it is effective or not, whether it does actually crack down on this vile trade in people smuggling.

"And of course, you'll be able to see evidence of that as the government starts to implement its policy."

But he warns it could be a long wait, adding: "We have to bear in mind as well the really dire nature of our inheritance and the scale of this challenge.

"We know the scale of this challenge. We know how difficult it is, but we are determined to do the work to tackle it."

We start with our political editor Beth Rigby talking to us from outside Blenheim Palace, where the European Political Community (EPC) summit has been taking place.

She says the tone has been "very positive", with lots of diplomats and officials on the sidelines telling her "the reset is real and that the Labour government is really making progress".

The prime minister kicked off the conference by reassuring the European leaders that he would not leave the European Convention on Human Rights, says Beth - something often threatened by the former Conservative government.

"I'm told by one EU diplomat that this went down extremely well, that European leaders were not expecting it, but they really welcomed it and they saw it as proof, if you like, that Keir Starmer really does want to reset relations."

But while our political editor says "the reset is on", changing the relationship is "going to take time".

"Sir Keir said himself that it will be a combination of bilateral talks and then dealing with the European Union as an institution," she adds.

"But the mood music at Blenheim Palace was extremely positive. And Sir Keir and his team are very pleased with how things have gone down."

Now it's time for the Politics Hub with Ali Fortescue in the chair tonight. 

Ali will be talking to the director of the Civil Exchange thinktank Caroline Slocock about the first report from the official COVID inquiry.

From the government, she will also speak to the minister for European relations Nick Thomas-Symonds .

And on the panel is Labour's former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and the Tory chair of the foreign affairs committee Alicia Kearns .

You can watch the show in the stream above, or follow our updates for all the highlights. 

It may have been two weeks since Labour was voted into power, but they are still filling roles on their frontbench.

We have just had a list through of some new appointments, so take a look below...

• Hamish Falconer - parliamentary under secretary of state in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; 
• Baroness Chapman - parliamentary under secretary of state in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; 
• Mary Creagh - parliamentary under secretary of state in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; 
• Martin McCluskey - assistant government whip; 
• Kate Dearden - assistant government whip. 

By Jennifer Scott, political reporter

More than 192,000 children in England and Wales have parents who are currently in jail, new figures have revealed.

It is the first time the government has shown the scale of young people impacted - an estimated 192,912 - who, without support, often follow their parents into crime, studies show.

But charities say releasing the statistics is only "the first step", and are now calling for the new government to do more to support the "invisible children" who are "falling through the cracks".

Labour has a history of campaigning on the issue in opposition, with the now energy minister Kerry McCarthy bringing forward a private members' bill, calling for national guidelines, ensuring the state identifies any children at the point of sentencing, and accountability for giving them support.

The thrust of her bill made it into Labour's general election manifesto, which said: "The children of those who are imprisoned are at far greater risk of being drawn into crime than their peers. We will ensure that those young people are identified and offered support to break the cycle."

However, the commitment failed to appear in the King's Speech on Wednesday, which outlined the government's policy agenda for the next 12 to 18 months.

Read more below:

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