IchorCoal crew pay tribute to lost sailors in parade marking end of Clipper Race

Crew members of the IchorCoal, that lost two of its sailors during the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, paid tribute to them as they took part in a parade celebrating the end of the competition.

They wore black armbands and painted their nails blue and green in tribute to their colleagues Andrew Ashman and Sarah Young as they sailed down the River Thames on Saturday as part of the Parade of Sails.

A crew member with painted nails and a black armband waves a Union Flag during the parade. Credit: PA

Thousands of spectators looked on as London's Tower Bridge opened to welcome home the 12 competing crews, including winner LMAX Exchange, after the 11-month circumnavigation of the planet.

Tower Bridge opened as the fleet made its way down the Thames. Credit: PA

Ms Young, 40, from London, died after she was washed off the deck of the IchorCoal during the Pacific leg of the race in April. Her body was recovered and buried at sea.

Seven months before her death, Mr Ashman, 49, from Kent, was killed after it is thought he was hit by the mainsheet and possibly the boom whilst racing off the coast of Portugal. His death was the first in the race's 20-year history.

Sarah Young and Andrew Ashman died while sailing on the IchorCoal. Credit: IchorCoal

Natasha Pettigrew, 27, from Chiswick, who joined the crew in Seattle to sail back to the capital for the last two legs, said it was a "brilliant way" to remember their friends.

The IchorCoal sales past St Katharine Dock. Credit: PA

Mr Ashman's brother Keith joined the IchorCoal off Southend Pier for the parade into St Katharine Dock and through the iconic bridge.

The race officially ended in Southend late on Friday night after a 30-hour tightly-fought battle across 198 nautical miles of the North Sea.

Derry-Londonderry-Doire won the leg which started in Den Helder, Netherlands, while LMAX Exchange bagged the overall race win - just four points ahead of second place.

The IchorCoal, who came fifth in the final leg and 11th overall, in a race that was "really rewarding", skipper Rich Gould, from Wiltshire, said.