The crew of the Scottish entry in a round-the-world yacht race have been celebrating after crossing the finishing line of the Atlantic leg.

The 68ft clipper, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, is crewed by amateurs who arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 9th place after 676 hours of sailing.

Cassie Milligan, 20, from Edinburgh, said: "I'm really excited that we've actually made it. I tried not to cry, but shed a little tear when I heard everybody screaming.

"This is the first time I've been away from home and I kept saying to everyone on the boat that with every wee bit it was me further and further away. It's just amazing to be here in Rio."

The Edinburgh entry is one of 10 racing yachts competing in the Clipper 09-10 race over 35,000 miles.

All of the yachts are sponsored by cities and countries around the world and are crewed by people from all walks of life.

Seven young unemployed people were selected by the city council to join the crew as part of their work towards Duke of Edinburgh awards.

The 44-strong Edinburgh crew is led by professional skipper Matt Pike who said they were not rewarded with the place they deserved.

But he added: "The team has done really well considering the lack of experience with being at sea for that amount of time.

"I was impressed with the way they held it together through the tough times."

First Minister Alex Salmond toasted the Edinburgh Inspiring Capital in a ceremony at the Port of Leith before the race got under way last month.