SAILORS taking part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race will be flying the flag in their own Diamond Jubilee celebration across the pond.

Competitors in the 40,000 mile voyage will be taking part in a flotilla in New York as they sail up the River Hudson to begin Race 12.

The lead boats will be flying distinctive Union Jack Great Britain branded spinnaker sail, with the ten strong fleet joined by other smaller craft.

They will then pass the Statue of Liberty about 10.30 am New York time to coincide with the Diamond Jubilee on the River Thames and then arrive in North Cove Marina in front of the World Financial Center at midday.

Race founder Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who is in London participating in the Avenue of Sail in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, said: “It will be quite a spectacle to see the fleet coming up the Hudson with the two lead yachts flying vast Great Britain spinnakers.”

In less than two months' time, the teams will return to Southampton at the end of their gruelling challenge.

The teams' journeys began in the city last August amid memorable scenes as tens of thousands of well-wishers lined the shore to wave them off.

A huge party is planned in the city's Ocean Village for July 22, with live music and air displays marking the culmination of the 40,000-mile voyage for the ten teams, mostly made up of sailors from a variety of “normal” backgrounds.