After an extraordinary journey across the Atlantic, our Leg 1 Race Crew have achieved something few ever do, they've crossed an ocean. Their hard work, resilience, and teamwork have been remarkable from start to finish.

As these leggers step off the yachts, we celebrate everything they've accomplished and thank them for being part of the race.

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After sailing over 5500 nautical miles from Puerto Sherry, Spain to Punta del Este, Uruguay, teams are celebrating an unforgettable ocean crossing, battling the vast Atlantic to reach South America.

Congratulations to all Race Crew for their determination, teamwork and ocean spirit!

Team Qingdao has been given a six hour time penalty for infringing the 3 nautical mile coastline exclusion zone whilst approaching Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Although only infringing by .1nm and crossing the Finish Line third, as a result of the penalty, Stage 2: YCPE Cup third place has now been awarded to Team Washington, DC.

Team Scotland will move up to forth place, having finished within six hours of Team Qingdao's adjusted time.

They’re home! It’s been a tough fight for the crew, but the achievement of crossing the Atlantic Ocean is what matters most.

Talk about a close finish! What an end to a race after 27 days at sea. Hear from Team Qingdao, Team Washington, DC and Team Scotland as they touch down in Punta del Este! 🎥

The first two teams have arrived in Punta del Este after close racing across the Atlantic! An incredible achievement.

Hear from Team London Business School and Team GOSH fresh off the boat.

Team GOSH! Winners of Stage 2: YCPE Cup What a race we saw out there between Teams GOSH and London Business School. Congratulations to Ollie, Otto and the crew of GOSH on their first, first place and two out of two podium results. The team also scooped a total of six bonus points, the most points possible, for the Scoring Gate (3 points) and Ocean Sprint (3 points)

Update from the Race Management Committee: "Team Power of Seattle Sports has been awarded a six hour time penalty for exceeding the Western Longitude of the compulsory Doldrums Corridor."

The Ocean Sprint results are in, powered by Hyde Sails

And it looks like a second win for Team GOSH!

Congratulations to the top 3 teams GOSH, London Business School and Scotland for bagging crucial points!

A warm welcome to the Southern Hemisphere, Shellbacks!  

A momentous occasion in any sailors’ career, the Clipper Race fleet has officially crossed the equator.  

The equator is a 24,901-mile-long line that is equidistant from the North and South Poles, with over half of it spanning across the world’s oceans. The fleet will cross the equator twice on its circumnavigation, providing two opportunities for Race Crew to experience an infamous crossing the line ceremony.  

A mystical time-honored tradition, as sailors cross the imaginary line from 00 00.000'N to 00 00.000'S it is said that Slimy Pollywogs (those who have never crossed the equator) emerge as Trusted Shellbacks (those that have).  

A reason for celebration, folklore states that an on board ceremony should include a mandatory meeting of all Pollywogs in King Neptune’s court, where they announce the sins they have committed on board, request safe passage, fair winds, and following seas throughout Neptune’s domain. The ceremony ends with Pollywogs being made to eat, wear – or sometimes both! - a lumpy, bumpy, sloppy galley concoction as they pay homage to the keeper of the seas.  

Talking about they felt to have crossed the equator on board Team Tongyeong, the crew said:

Loveday: It's a really exciting part of the race, a big milestone and a big achievement and something special to get here on a sailboat under our own hard work.

Lauren: A huge achievement and bucket list tick. It’s very special to cross with this crew as we’ve worked hard to get ourselves here on CV23 who has protected us all the way.

Brian: I am delighted to have achieved one of the great milestones of ocean sailing and I feel that this epic race is filled with so many milestones, it has really begun for me now.

Tim: It meant more to me because my partner sent a message to say to look at the moon when we crossed, as she was tracking us and was looking at the same moon at the same time.

Team Scotland Skipper, Heather Thomas, said: "We have been carrying our drifter buoy since Portsmouth and have deployed it between the Canary Islands and the Cape Verdes. Once deployed it records ocean data such as sea temperature and sends it back to be collected and reviewed. This data will help marine scientists understand the changes our oceans are going through and be vital in coming up with ways to protect them. The crew of Team Scotland fondly named our drifter buoy 'banana peel' both in homage to mario kart and also in the hope that this piece of 'rubbish' in the ocean will actually do some good."

"At around 0615 on an already pitch-black night, we were caught in a sudden squall. As we started to drop the Code 2, in the sudden strong gusts it was wrapped and shredded into huge pieces. As some crew that were "off watch" jumped on deck to help get the situation under control, eventually, we dropped the kite onto the deck. Some initially into the water but we pulled it back on board (letterbox impossible) and down into the sail locker to get it below ASAP.

"Our training and leadership from Lou and Brian kept us calm in the midst of the event and we worked hard together to get the situation under control. Despite everything, spirits are high.

"After we got a new headsail up, a few of us spent an hour wrestling the pieces of the Code 2 into a bunk in the sail locker so that it’s stowed safely for repair and we can access the rest of the sails we need for the race. In this climate the sail locker is basically a sauna at sea and it was a hot and sweaty job.

"We are now using our other sails to make the most of the wind we have as we push south, and our afternoon has been brightened by our first whale spotting (minky, we think). We’re looking forward cauliflower and chickpeas curry for lunch during happy hour on deck."

Read the full update here.

Team London Business School has received a 5 hours 16 minutes 28 seconds time correction following its diversion to Las Palmas after a crew member became unwell on board. The yacht motored 18 miles ahead to reach medical assistance; however, this route remained on course towards Punta del Este, the finish port of Stage 2.

The Race Committee reviewed the unusual situation, as normally a diversion hinders racing progress, but in this case the team motored directly along the race route. Returning 18 miles north to the engine-on point was considered counterproductive in the conditions.

Explaining how the committe arrived at the outcome, Race Director Dale Smyth said “The Race Committee felt that although London Business School gained nothing on the fleet, a time correction should be decided as if the yacht had returned to its motor point. Clipper Race weather expert, Simon Rowell, put a lot of work into using exact weather at the time and some accurate polars to simulate returning to the engine on point and continuing to race to where the engine was switched off.

“Based on this, the committee feels that the correct time correction for that is 5hrs 16min 28seconds. This will therefore be the time correction applied to the team’s overall finish time in Punta del Este. Over a 29 day race this should hopefully not impact its position too dramatically.”

This adjustment will be applied to the team’s overall finish time in Punta del Este. Skipper Gav Rees said: “We fully respect the process and accept the time correction. Thank you to everyone for supporting the medical diversion and ensuring it was handled as efficiently as possible.”

The Scoring Gate results are in…

In reverse order, scooping the extra points up for grabs on this stage is...

3rd | UNICEF (one point)

2nd | Qingdao (two points)

1st | GOSH (three points)

Congratulations to all teams after some tough days of sailing.

After a much needed stopover in Puerto Sherry, the Clipper Race fleet is back at sea! On Sunday, the teams set off on the YCPE Cup, to Punta del Este 🇺🇾. This stage brings the second half of the Atlantic Trade Winds - a test of tactics, patience, and teamwork. From navigating the Canaries to the unpredictable doldrums near the equator, crews will face wind holes, squalls, and soaring heat. Crossing the equator will be a huge milestone, marked by the legendary King Neptune ceremony - a rite of passage for every sailor.

Thank you for the wonderful send off, Puerto Sherry!

Pt. 2

Thank you for the wonderful send off, Puerto Sherry!

Pt. 1

Our Yacht Club Punta del Este crew are raring to go to their Home Port! 💪

We caught up with Team Yacht Club Punta del Este, Team Tongyeong and Team GOSH to see how they were feeling ahead of Stage 2...

As the fleet prepares to set off on its first ocean crossing of the edition, Race Director Dale Smyth gives insight into what the first few days off racing will look like...

Welcome to the stage 2 live blog, expect to find your real time race updates here.