A PEMBROKESHIRE sailor is leading a team of non-professional crew members on the final ocean crossing of one of the world’s toughest yacht races.

Lou Boorman, from Haverfordwest, is skipper of Team Tongyeong in the Clipper 2025-26 Round the World Yacht Race.

Her team has now departed Washington, DC, and is heading across the North Atlantic to Oban in Scotland, marking the last major ocean crossing of the global race.

The Clipper Race is unusual because it takes people from all walks of life and trains them to become ocean racers. No previous sailing experience is required.

Each of the ten identical Clipper Race yachts is led by a professional skipper and first mate, with up to 22 non-professional crew members on board. The teams race around the clock for up to 30 days at a time, covering a global route of around 40,000 nautical miles.

Lou has been leading Team Tongyeong since the race began in Portsmouth last August. The team has been representing the South Korean city of Tongyeong throughout the competition.

Speaking ahead of the final Atlantic crossing, Lou said: “It doesn’t feel quite real that we’ve nearly sailed around the world and are one hop across the ocean to home waters!

“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. A huge challenge. We’ve had three podiums so far and are hungry for more.”

At the time of the release, Team Tongyeong was leading the current stage of the race.

The route from Washington, DC, to Oban is just over 3,000 nautical miles and will see crews face changing weather systems, strong Atlantic currents and the unpredictable conditions that make ocean racing so demanding.

Lou said the challenge had not only been about sailing, but also about leadership.

She said: “In addition to the sailing and the conditions, the challenging part has been about people management and leadership. I’ve had to be a strong leader. That’s what my team expects and needs from me. So the development in this race is incredible.”

She added: “I think it’s going to leave a big hole in my life, leaving this team and leaving the boat. I’m going to have to fill that gap in my life fairly quickly. I’ll miss it too much!”

After ten months at sea, and with just over three weeks of racing remaining, the arrival in Oban will mark a major milestone as the fleet returns to UK waters.

Oban is due to welcome the Clipper Race fleet from Friday, July 10, with a programme of public events allowing visitors to see the yachts and meet the race crews and professional skippers.

From Oban, the teams will race for the final time in the 2025-26 edition, finishing in Portsmouth on Saturday, July 25, where the overall leaderboard positions will be confirmed.

Applications are already open for the 2027-28 edition of the race, which is due to begin next summer.

Town council donation will support two of the town’s biggest community events, with further funding for Santa visit

MILFORD HAVEN TOWN COUNCIL has presented a £6,000 donation to Milford Haven Round Table to help support this year’s Milford Haven Carnival and Free Fireworks Extravaganza.

The cheque was presented by the Mayor of Milford Haven, Councillor Mark Woodward, at the Lord Nelson Hotel on Thursday, June 25.

The donation was agreed at a meeting of the full council on Monday, June 8, in recognition of the work carried out by Milford Haven Round Table in organising major community events for the town.

A further £500 will also be donated to the Round Table for its annual support with the Visit of Santa to Milford Haven.

Milford Haven Town Council said it was proud to support the Round Table and hoped the strong relationship between the two organisations would continue for many years to come.

The council added: “Thank you all so very much for giving up your time to put these fabulous events together for our beloved town.”

A PEMBROKESHIRE DJ and music producer is celebrating a major career breakthrough after having his new track signed by London dance label Perfect Havoc.

Josh Oughton, 29, who performs as J Flow, will release his new single Another Lie on all major platforms on Friday, July 3.

Josh, who is from Pembrokeshire and still lives locally, began DJing in 2018 and has been performing professionally for the past two years. He has also spent several years learning music production, before deciding to take it seriously over the last two years.

He said Perfect Havoc discovered him after he sent demos directly to the label.

“Having my track signed to Perfect Havoc is a massive achievement in my career,” Josh said. “It gives me the potential to get booked for bigger shows and festivals.”

He described Another Lie as a high-energy dance track with “pure summer vibes”.

“The story behind it is constantly being lied to and me being able to walk away from them lies,” he said.

Josh added that the achievement still has not fully sunk in.

“To me personally, it still doesn’t feel real,” he said. “I never thought I would have got as far as having my music signed to a label, so it means the world to me.”

Perfect Havoc is a London-based dance music label which has released music from a number of high-profile dance artists, including Joel Corry.

Josh said further plans are in the pipeline, although he is not yet able to reveal details.