Messing around in boats

A life on the ocean waves is clearly preferable to a life in a City law firm, to judge by the crew of the Jersey Clipper, which is taking part in The Times Clipper 2000 Round the World Yacht Race.

The crew is pictured celebrating its win in the leg leading to the Galapagos Islands.

Cath Landale (pictured on the right in the blue vest top), a corporate assistant at City firm Richards Butler, was given seven months' unpaid leave to join the yacht on the outward half of the race - 17,000 miles from Portsmouth to Hong Kong.

Ms Landale - whose husband James is The Times political correspondent and joined her for part of the race - is now on her way home, but her boat is still in the lead it held when she left.

Also in the crew were Clare Shortridge (on the left in the black bikini top), who is starting a training contract with Macfarlanes in the autumn, and Denise Oatham of City firm Tarlo Lyons (centre, second row in black bikini top).