Round the world yacht race finally ends in Liverpool

Team Jersey has won the Clipper 2002 Round The World Yacht Race.

The 35,000-mile competition began in Liverpool last October and ended there this morning.

It stopped at destinations including Portugal, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Cape Town and New York.

The eight ships, all named after an international city or island, each had a professional skipper and a crew of 14, many of whom had never sailed before.

The final leg of the race, from Anglesey to Liverpool, was won by Hong Kong, with Jersey and Glasgow taking second and third place.

The result meant that Jersey won the overall race with 97.5 points and Bristol came second with 95.5.

Liverpool came last in the final leg but took third overall, with 74 points.

The remaining five yachts were Hong Kong (71), Glasgow (65), London (57.5), New York (55) and Cape Town (30).

The race was due to finish at the Albert Dock but a lack of wind meant it was cut short and finished out in the Mersey.

The returning yachts were then led down the river by HMS Edinburgh and a flotilla of more than 100 vessels.

Thousands of spectators lined the Mersey on both sides to watch the spectacle, which took place beneath clear blue skies.