Qingdao remains in the running to finish on the overall Clipper Race podium after finishing fourth in Race12 to Derry－Londonderry， Northern Ireland － the penultimate race of the40，000 nautical mile Clipper2017－18 Round the World Yacht Race．

Qingdao， Skippered by German Yachtsman Chris Kobusch， crossed the finish line in an area north east of the entrance to Lough Foyle at15：53：23 UTC to complete the3，000 nautical mile race across the Atlantic Ocean， the fast－paced sixth and final ocean crossing of the eleven－month circumnavigation， in13 days．

Qingdao Skipper Chris said：“I am proud that my team has finished fourth in what was another testing race across a tough ocean．

“Obviously we would have loved a podium but fourth place means we are still a strong contender to finish in the final top three with just one race remaining before Race Finish in Liverpool．”

As well as collecting nine race points for finishing fourth， Qingdao also picked up one bonus point for being third fastest in the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint．

The race was won by Visit Seattle， which crossed the finish line at00：21：57 UTC Visit Seattle also picked up two bonus points for being second across the Scoring Gate which means it will overtake Qingdao for second place in the overall standings．

Victory in the race from New York to Derry－Londonderry has set up a thrilling duel for the overall Clipper Race Trophy between Visit Seattle Skipper Nikki Henderson，24 from Surrey， UK， and Sanya Serenity Coast Skipper， Wendy Tuck，53 from Sydney， Australia， with the pair now vying to be the first female winner in the22－year history of the Clipper Race．

Visit Seattle Skipper Nikki Henderson said：“I am so proud of how hard my team worked to get this win． The crew never let up over the past two weeks and really deserve this result．

“We will certainly be celebrating the result in Derry－Londonderry but we all know the job isn’t done yet． The leaderboard is very close so the final race to Liverpool will be very exciting．”

The Clipper Race is unique in that it trains non－professionals to be ocean faring sailors． Established in1996 by Sir Robin Knox－Johnston， the first man to sail solo， non－stop around the world，40 per cent of Clipper Race crew have no previous sailing experience before signing up and undergoing the compulsory four weeks of training．

Derry－Londonderry is a much－anticipated stopover on the global Clipper Race circuit， with each of the232 crew given a starring role in the award－winning Foyle Maritime Festival． Over the next fortnight， locals and visitors to Derry－Londonderry will be able to get up close to the70－foot ocean racing yachts and take part in an exciting programme of diverse events in celebration of the Clipper Race crew and their adventurous spirit．

The Foyle Maritime Festival will come to an end when the Clipper Race fleet departs for the final race， to Liverpool， on Sunday22 July． The circumnavigation will come to an end at the Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool on July28．