The Route

Leg 01 Liverpool to Salvador

Liverpool > La Rochelle > Salvador Da Bahia

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

After a brief stop in France's sailing capital, the boats will cross their first ocean and the Equator, racing 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 is a non-stop dash across the South Atlantic.

The yachts round 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 coast of South Africa the yachts will bear south to pick up the roller coaster ride that is sailing the Roaring Forties.

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

Leg 04 Fremantle to Qingdao

Fremantle > Singapore > Qingdao

The New Year sees 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 sees a stark climatic change, as the boats continue to 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 is traversed over two races, leaving the chills of north east China bound for the isolated paradise that is Hawaii.

After this tropical pitstop, the yachts depart these islands for mainland USA, heading for California.

Leg 06 Santa Cruz to Jamaica

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

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

The impressive transit of the canal, takes the yachts back into the Atlantic and a short, fast race to Jamaica.

Leg 07 Jamaica to Liverpool

Jamaica > New York > Nova Scotia > Cork > Liverpool

The final leg of the circumnavigation has the fleet leaving the Caribbean bound for New York.

Before crossing the Atlantic a third time the fleet visits Nova Scotia, Canada, then heading east for Cork, Ireland; with the final chase across the Irish Sea back to Liverpool.