Clipper on next leg of world race

It costs £7,000 per person to secure a place

Twenty-five seafarers from Merseyside have set off for the next leg of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

The Liverpool Clipper - which set sail for Singapore from Australia - is currently in fourth place in the race.

The crew hope to complete the seven-leg, 35,000 mile race before returning to Liverpool in July.

A spokesman for the team said after spending Christmas carrying out repairs to the clipper the crew are hoping to make up ground on this leg.

Culture celebrations

The race, established in 2001, is divided into a total of 14 individual races, with Durban, New York and Singapore among its ports of call.

This finishing line for this years's race, at Liverpool's Albert Dock, will feature in the Capital of Culture celebrations.

Each of the yachts is crewed by non-professional sailors and led by a professional skipper, making it unique in world yacht racing. It costs £7,000 per person to secure a place.

Each of the racing yachts are sponsored by, and carry the name of, a major city on the route including New York, Western Australia, Victoria, Qingdao, Jersey, Liverpool, Singapore, Durban, Glasgow and Cardiff.