‘Proper homecoming’ to Scotland for woman in round the world yacht race

A Scot taking part in a round the world yacht race has said her arrival in Oban feels like a “really nice place for a proper homecoming”.

Boats in the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race are due to arrive in the Highland port from 6pm on Wednesday.

Katie Archibald, originally from Haddington, East Lothian, is part of the crew on board the winning Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) boat.

The 29-year-old software engineer said that arriving in Oban “feels like a really nice place for a proper homecoming in every sense of the word”.

“Coming back into Scotland definitely makes it a lot more personal for me,” Ms Archibald said.

The Clipper Round The World Yacht Race will return to Oban for the first time since the summer of 2024 (Clipper Race/PA)

“We used to go on holidays around Oban when I was growing up, so it already holds lots of special memories.”

Ms Archibald, who lives in London, only started sailing in 2025, and she signed up for the Clipper Race while on gardening leave between jobs, seeing it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Her family will be waiting to welcome her ashore, and she said there may be tears when she arrives.

“If there are bagpipes, I will definitely be crying.” she said.

“They always make me think of home,” she said.

Clipper Race crews have sailed over 36,000 nautical miles, and the yachts are expected to cross the finish line from 6pm.

It is the second time the Clipper race has come to Scotland, and the fleet of 10 yachts will make their final port stop in Oban before returning to their start destination in Portsmouth – 11 months after departure.

The event sees people from different countries who have no previous experience of sailing take part in the 40,000 nautical mile race around the world, after first completing an intensive course to gain the necessary skills for life on board.

This year’s contest saw them set off from Portsmouth on August 31 2025, with the penultimate leg of the challenge seeing them cross the Atlantic, sailing from Washington DC to Oban.

Home boat Team Scotland is scheduled to cross the finish line early on Friday morning.

The ocean racing yachts and crews will finish arriving in Oban by July 13, and from July 15-17 the public will be able to step on board a Clipper 70 ocean racing yacht and meet the crew.

The Clipper Race Discovery Dome will also be open for people to learn more about the adventure.

After a week of celebration and discovery, Oban will wave off the fleet of yachts on July 19 as crews begin the final stage of the route with one last sprint to Portsmouth.