World ahoy as Yorkshire yacht races for England

The county is to compete in the Clipper 2011-12 Round the World Yacht Race – as England’s only entrant.

The new 68ft yacht Welcome to Yorkshire will be on a global marketing mission to raise the profile of the county during the eight-leg, 40,000-mile world tour.

The project will build on the impact of its predecessor, Hull & Humber, which took part in the last two Clipper Races.

In its bright pink livery, the hard-to-miss new yacht is sure to attract a lot of attention on its way around the world and, with a third of the crew from the county, the welcome in every port will hopefully be a warm one.

Yorkshire’s involvement was unveiled in the historic port of Whitby, which was home to one of the world’s greatest explorers, Captain James Cook.

Eleven members of crew and representatives from Clipper Ventures joined Welcome to Yorkshire on board the replica of Cook’s boat HM Bark Endeavour to launch Yorkshire’s participation.

Welcome to Yorkshire Gary Verity chief executive said: “Yorkshire is a world-class destination and deserves to be seen on a global stage.

“The Clipper Race is the perfect event to showcase Yorkshire in key global markets, and this is the third edition running that Yorkshire has competed in the Clipper Race.

“We are building on that success and hope to make this race our most successful to date.”

Evaluation by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward showed the impact of Hull & Humber’s involvement helped to raise the region’s profile, aid inward investment, change local perceptions and increase tourism and educational opportunities, securing £5m of trade deals and value during Clipper 09-10 alone.

The race starts from Southampton on July 31, with the first leg taking the crew to Rio de Janeiro via Madeira.