THE fleet of the Round the World Clipper Race was last night busy studying weather files and contemplating tactics once again in a bid to find the fastest route across the Atlantic to Northern Ireland.

As they navigated through a tropical storm the frontrunners are now about 900 miles from shore and will begin arriving into Derry- Londonderry between Friday and Sunday.

The fleet of ten identical 68ft racing yachts will then head to the Netherlands before the final leg takes them back to Ocean Village in Southampton on July 22.

The 40,000-mile race, which started in Southampton last July, pits ten professional skippers against each other with crews of amateur men and women who have given up their day jobs to sail around the world.