The Clipper fleet crossed the Race 12 start line off Noirmont Point at 18:15 on Tuesday 25 July to start the closing stages of the yachts’ 35,000 mile adventure.
 | | Liverpool Clipper |
Jersey's Leiutenant Governer, Leiutenant-General Sir Andrew Ridgeway, fired the cannon high up on Noirmont Point, to get the race underway, whilst spectators braved the rather grey and damp conditions to watch from both the headland and on board pleasure boats at sea. This final stage will see the Clipper race back to Liverpool, the starting port they left 10 months ago, in two short sprints via a pit stop Holyhead, on the Northern Welsh coast. Western Australia stole the overall lead from Durban in the last race and are now 5.5 points clear of their nearest rivals, but with a maximum of 15 points up for grabs in the final two short sprints it’s all left to play for – any of the top 4 boats could lift the Clipper Cup on 29 July (Western Australia, Durban, New York or Liverpool). At the bottom of the table Jersey and Glasgow are fighting their own personal battle not to finish in last place. Both boats trail the rest of the fleet by too many points to be placed any higher than ninth, but just 3.5 points separate the two.
 | | Cardiff Clipper |
The latest at 05:00 on Thursday 26 July saw Western Australia and Durban heading up the fleet and Glasgow just ahead of Jersey, but with just 8 miles separating first and last the boats will probably continue to jostle for position. Light winds are forecast for the next couple of days as the fleet head along the treacherous Cornish coast and on to Holyhead so tactics could become the deciding factor in the outcome of Race 12. | 
