The Route

Leg 01 Liverpool to Salvador

Liverpool > La Rochelle > Salvador Da Bahia

The Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race set off from the maritime city of Liverpool in the North West of England, from where the fleet headed south to La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast of France.

After a brief stop in France’s sailing capital, the boats crossed their first ocean and the Equator, on their way to Salvador in Brazil.

Leg 02 Salvador to Durban

Salvador Da Bahia > Durban

Leaving the tropical heat of Brazil’s ancient capital, the third race was a non-stop dash across the South Atlantic.

The yachts rounded the Cape of Good Hope before battling it out in the Aghulas Current to reach the beachside city of Durban in South Africa.

Leg 03 Durban to Fremantle

Durban > Fremantle

From the Indian Ocean of South Africa the yachts headed south in an attempt to pick up the roller coaster ride that is sailing the Roaring Forties.

The teams crossed the Southern Ocean to reach Fremantle in Western Australia for Christmas.

Leg 04 Fremantle to Qingdao

Fremantle > Singapore > Qingdao

The New Year saw the fleet head due north from Australia to cross the Equator a second time before stopping in the tropical Asian city state of Singapore.

Race 6 saw a stark climatic change as the boats continued their push northwards to the Olympic sailing city of Qingdao in China.

Leg 05 Qingdao to Santa Cruz

Qingdao > Hawaii > Santa Cruz

The planet’s biggest ocean was traversed over two races, leaving the chills of north east China the fleet headed to the isolated paradise of Hawaii.

After the tropical pitstop, the yachts departed the islands for mainland USA and the coastal town of Santa Cruz.

Leg 06 Santa Cruz to Jamaica

Santa Cruz > Panama City; Colon, Panama > Port Antonio, Jamaica

The fleet stayed in the Pacific Ocean, following the western Central American coast to Panama.

The impressive transit of the Panama Canal took the yachts back into the Atlantic followed by a short, fast race to Jamaica.

Leg 07 Jamaica to Liverpool

Jamaica > New York > Nova Scotia > Cork > Liverpool

The final leg of the circumnavigation saw the fleet leave the Caribbean bound for New York.

Before crossing the Atlantic for the final time the fleet stopped in Nova Scotia, Canada, then headed east for Cork, Ireland, before the final chase up the Irish Sea back to Liverpool.