Fleet out on shortened leg to Lerwick

The boats are all racing again, showing good speed up the west coast of the Outer Hebrides.

The shortened leg takes them straight up to the Flannan Isles, omitting St Kilda, on to Sula Sgeir, and then, the big change, going round the south of Shetland (instead of Muckle Flugga in the north) to Lerwick.

The change allows the competitors to catch up some of the time lost to the weather, avoid the heavy seas to the north, and keep ahead of some more strong winds that may be coming.

Jerry Freeman, veteran of many oceanic races, and his co-skipper Rob Nelson in Juliette have unfortunately decided to retire.