Oban welcomes sailors as yacht race reaches Scotland after Atlantic crossing

Scotland is playing host to the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race for a second time this year.

The colourful fleet has undergone a gruelling journey over the last 11 months, and Oban is its final stop before the race ends.

The town has been abuzz has with the excitement the clipper boats have brought to its shores.

The race sees ten yachts racing across 40,000 nautical miles, across five oceans, before finishing up in Portsmouth next week.

No previous experience is required to take part in the challenge with crews coming from all walks of life and nations around the world to tackle one or multiple legs of the race.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who made history by becoming the first man to sail solo and non-stop around the globe in 1968-69, is the co-founder of Clipper Ventures alongside William Ward.

He told STV News: “40% of our crew has never been on a boat before, they’re the easiest to train because they have no bad habits.

“I think it’s people looking for something special in their lives, a bit of adventure. They want to say they’ve done something with their lives.

“It’s very interesting, very few who have made up their minds drop out.

“My job is to encourage people to take up sailing. I think on the whole we’ve had 7,000 people through now, all across the Eastern Ocean.”