AN amateur sailor is taking part in a four-and-a-half month trip around the world – on a 70-foot racing yacht.

On Friday, after nearly a year's build-up and weeks of training, Lyndy Geddes, director of operations at Ombudsman Services in Daresbury, embarked on the final three legs of the Clipper Round the World Race.

The 49-year-old, originally from Liverpool, set sail on board the Team Liverpool 2018 CV20 yacht, from the harbour of QingDao, in China, joining a crew of around 20 other sailors.

Lyndy originally signed up to complete leg six of the race but after four weeks of training decided to sign up to two more.

On leaving the UK to join the race in China, Lyndy said: "I was getting to the point in my life where I was thinking 'What have I achieved?'

"I've done well in my career but I never felt like I had done a big thing.

"I don't climb mountains or go on country walks – it is so far out of my comfort zone.

"I wanted to see if I could, and if I was going to do it, I might as well do a big one."

The team will be racing against 10 other boats to Seattle, Panama, New York and Londonderry before crossing the finish in Liverpool, on July 28.

Lyndy will have travelled 15,472 nautical miles, having sailed for 93 days, once she reaches the docks where the race began in August last year.

On board the yacht, Lyndy will take on a range of jobs, including driving, towing the sails and mother watch – when every 10 days two crew members work for 12 hours to feed and take care of the other sailors.

The Clipper Race, now on its eleventh edition, was founded by Sir Robin Knox-Johnson – the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world.

It is a record breaking 40,000 nautical mile race, divided into eight legs and 13 to 16 individual races.

It is the only race to supply 12 identical sailing yachts, each with a fully equipped skipper.

Lyndy will be blogging about her Clipper journey at clipperlyndy.wordpress.com