The yacht Qingdao competes in the race. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Qingdao yacht has secured the third place in overall standing of 2017-2018 Clipper Round the World yacht race, the best ranking ever in all its seven participations since 2005.

Qingdao secured the third spot after beating out home team Liverpool 2018 and Garmin to win Race 13 from Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland, to Liverpool, the United Kingdom.

The yacht crossed the finish line on Friday to secure first place and its fourth podium overall.

The team was strong right from the start on the River Foyle on July 22 and didn't drop any lower than second throughout the 900 nautical mile dash around Ireland to Liverpool.

Qingdao skipper Chris Kobusch said: "It has been a fantastic race and I am extremely happy and proud of the effort my team has put in.

"To be able not only to secure the Race 13 victory but also guarantee our Race Team Partner Qingdao its first overall podium is extremely satisfying. The entire team has been working towards this goal for the past year and it is amazing to realize that we have done it."

Sanya Serenity Coast, making its debut, topped the overall standing, followed by Visit Seattle.

The Qingdao team celebrates Race 13 victory in the 2017-2018 Clipper Round the World yacht race. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Held biennially, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is the largest amateur yacht race in the world. The race has helped more than 5,000 people realize their sailing dreams - and 40 percent of them had no previous racing experience.

In total, 712 people representing 41 different nationalities from all walks of life have taken part in the 40,000 nautical mile Clipper 2017-18 Race.