Everyday people, including five Scottish nationals, are taking on one of the planet’s toughest endurance challenges: racing across the Atlantic Ocean from Washington, DC, USA, to Oban in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
The fleet of 10 Clipper Race yachts, which has been sailed over 36,000nm so far, is expected to arrive in Oban from 8 July, marking the final port stop on this global race route before it returns to its start destination – 11 months after departure.
Katie Archibald, 29, a software engineer originally from Haddington, East Lothian, now living in London, will be racing into Oban on winning team, Team GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital). Having only started sailing in 2025, Katie signed up for the Clipper Race while on gardening leave between jobs, seeing it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cross the Atlantic and take on a new challenge.
Looking ahead to arriving in Scotland, she said: “Coming back into Scotland definitely makes it a lot more personal for me. We used to go on holidays around Oban when I was growing up, so it already holds lots of special memories. It feels like a really nice place for a proper homecoming in every sense of the word.”
Katie’s family will be waiting to welcome her ashore and, she admits, there may be tears when she arrives: “If there are bagpipes, I will definitely be crying. They always make me think of home.”
Fleet ETA into Oban
The yachts are expected to begin crossing the Finish Line from 1800 on 8 July, with boats arriving into port at Oban’s North Pier from 0900 9 July. Home boat, Team Scotland, that crews and supporters will be particularly keen to welcome ashore, is scheduled from 0600 on 9 July.
Please note that all ETAs are approximate and subject to change depending on wind and sea conditions; the latest positions and expected arrival times for each yacht can be found on the Clipper Race tracker – https://clipperroundtheworld.geovoile.com/2025/tracker/
What’s happening in Oban?
8-13 July | Welcome the Fleet – North Pier Pontoon | Come and visit the world’s largest matched fleet of ocean racing yachts and our extraordinary crews as they arrive in Oban, Scotland.
15-17 July | 1000 – 1800 | Tour an Ocean Racing Yacht – North Pier Pontoon | Step on board a Clipper 70 ocean racing yacht and meet the crew.
15-17 July | 0900-1700 | Discovery Zone | Do you want to learn more about the Clipper Race, the world’s toughest ocean challenge? Come and visit the Clipper Race Discovery Dome where you can learn about this incredible adventure and how you can get involved in the next edition.
19 July | Race Start – North Pier Pontoon | After a week of celebration and discovery, wave off the fleet of Clipper Race yachts as it begins the final stage of the global route: one last sprint to Portsmouth. 1030 – Crew Parade | 1200 – Slipping Lines | 1300 – Parade of Sail
This will be the second time Oban has welcomed the Clipper Race, following a successful debut stopover in 2024 where the race featured as part of the town’s Festival of the Sea. The previous visit brought more than 200 Race Crew from 55 nations to the town, alongside hundreds of family members, friends and supporters who travelled to celebrate their achievements and experience all that Oban has to offer.
