Global yacht race heading for Oban, blessed by good weather

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."

The yachts are expected to begin crossing the Finish Line from 6pm on Wednesday 8 July, with boats arriving into port at Oban’s North Pier from 9am Thursday 9 July. Home boat, Team Scotland, that crews and supporters will be particularly keen to welcome ashore, is scheduled from 6am on Friday 9 July. 

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 - clipperroundtheworld.geovoile.com/2025/tracker/

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.

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 its extraordinary crews as they arrive in Oban.

15-17 July | 10am - 6pm | Tour an Ocean Racing Yacht - North Pier Pontoon | Step on board a Clipper 70 ocean racing yacht and meet the crew.

15-17 July | 9am-5pm | 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. 10.30am - Crew Parade | 12pm - Slipping Lines | 1pm - Parade of Sail

Once again, Argyll and Bute Council and Oban Business Improvement District (BID4Oban) are joint hosts for the stopover from 9 – 19 July. The event was such a success two years ago that the crews, officials and family members are delighted to return to Oban for another warm, Scottish welcome.

Events include:

• Welcoming the Clipper Race fleet
• Food and craft markets in Stafford Street
• Oban Rotary Club Raft Race
• Live painting on the North Pier by an artist in residence
• RNLI Lifeboat pop-up shop
• Live Music
• Oban Charities Day

To ensure everyone can enjoy the events scheduled throughout the week safely, the council has put some traffic management arrangements in place and is encouraging people to use public transport where possible.

During this time, all council car parks in the town will remain open except the North Pier as outlined below.

Please note, as the main event hub, the North Pier Car Park will close to vehicles from 9am on 8 July until 11:59pm on 19 July. Businesses on the pier will remain open and we will maintain pedestrian access throughout.

Stafford Street will be closed to traffic, for the food and craft markets, on:

• Saturday 11 July, from 8am – 6pm
• Sunday 12 July, from 8am – 6pm
• Saturday 18 July, 8am – 6pm

If you own a parking permit and want to know more about its use during this time, please visit the council website.

For more details on events, go to www.oban.org.uk/clipper-race-26/