AFTER 11 months of racing the world's oceans, Sydney skipper Wendy Tuck and many of the 50 other Australians who have competed were greeted by thousands of spectators along the banks of London's Thames River last Saturday as they celebrated finishing the tenth edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

Tuck's yacht, Da Nang - Viet Nam, finished in seventh place overall and enjoyed two podium finishes during the 11-month journey, which included a memorable first place victory in the race into Hobart, Australia, and third place in the penultimate race of the competition just ten days ago.

Arriving back to London, where the teams departed eleven months ago, Tuck, 50, said she was proud of her team.

"It was very emotional coming up the River Thames in London this morning reflecting on everything we have been through the last 11 months," she said.

"They started as novices and now should be proud of what they have accomplished, tackling the worst conditions Mother Nature could throw up. We have experienced everything from hurricanes and a dramatic Pacific Ocean storm which knocked our yacht down in the Pacific and meant we had to limp into Seattle. I have never seen conditions like it and hope to never again."

Over 40,000 nautical miles long, the Clipper Race, which started and finished in St Katherine Docks, is the longest, toughest ocean race on the planet and the only event of its kind which trains amateur crew to become ocean racers. More than 40% of crew had no previous sailing experience before signing up, and only the skipper on board is professional.

Throughout their almost year-long journey, which fewer people have completed than have climbed Mount Everest, the teams encountered the varying extremes of Mother Nature.

From tropical storms and hurricane force winds, to searing heat and chilly conditions, the crew have also sailed under clear starry nights, witnessed the most incredible sunsets and sighted wildlife in some of the planet's most remote locations. The Clipper Race was founded by legendary sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo, non-stop round the world in 1968-69, to allow anyone, regardless of previous sailing experience the chance to experience the thrill of ocean racing. The 2015/16 winner was LMAX Exhange.

FINAL STANDINGS

1 - LMAX Exchange 2 - Derry~Londonderry~Doire3 - GREAT Britain4 - Garmin5 - Qingdao6 - Mission Performance7 - Da Nang - Viet Nam8 - Visit Seattle9 - ClipperTelemed+10 - Unicef11 - IchorCoal12 - PSP Logistics