Thanks to Carolyn Newman for the photos! A few hours ago, the yachts in the Clipper Round-the-World Race headed out of Elliott Bay, northbound in Puget Sound toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the open ocean.

According to the race website, the next leg takes the crews to Panama, and that should take about 26 days. Of course, a fireboat salute was part of today’s sendoff.

The race has its own online tracker, which shows them passing south Whidbey Island right now. The finish line is in the UK, three months away.