Lottie Wade, a First Mate on the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, from Oakhanger near Alsager has been presented with a US flag that was flown on top of the Capitol Building in her honour. 

The token was presented to Lottie in Washington, DC, where the fleet was currently docked. 

Lottie is leading a team of non-professional sailors around the world on the Clipper Race, the only event of its kind which trains crew from diverse ages, nationalities and walks of life to race around the world.  

Dentists race alongside students, farmers and musicians in a true test of endurance, where the sailors spend up to a month at sea with some 20 other crew members on board. 

Many crew have no prior sailing experience before undertaking the compulsory four stages of training required to race, and each team is led by a professional Skipper and First Mate. 

Lottie said "This flag is really special because it was flown on top of the US Capitol building on 3 September 2023, which was the day that we left Portsmouth to begin our circumnavigation. 

"It's such a special memento that we received here in DC. It's been such an incredible stopover and it's just an amazing gift that one of our crew members helped to organise." 

The fleet is currently in Washington, DC and is preparing to embark on the final leg of the adventure, and final ocean crossing. 

Today (25th June) the eleven teams will sail out of the US capital to race across the North Atlantic to Oban in Scotland before taking on the final race to Portsmouth, where the 40,000nm circumnavigation will end.