Hannah White to skipper all-girls Spice Race entry
by Louay Habib, The Spice Race 5 Sep 2008 08:17 BST
After months of crew trials and many applications, Hannah White has been chosen to skipper the Class 40 'Concise' in the Spice Race; a brand new ocean race for 2008. Hannah, 25 from Lymington, and her selected girls team will race 'Concise' against other Class 40s and IRC yachts in the inaugural event which starts on the 15th November 2008 from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line in the Solent and covers a distance of 4321 nautical miles to Grenada. WI.
The man behind this new race, Tony Lawson, has a long connection with the West Indies and is a staunch supporter of the Class 40 organisation and its values. Lawson decided that his Class 40 'Concise' would race with an all-female crew. Lawson is very keen to help young sailors gain experience, and break into the offshore circuit.
Lawson commented, 'Modern offshore racing should not be bogged down with an old fashioned image and blue blazer mentality. A Women's offshore team certainly breaks the mold. We hope to have a French Women's team as well. Hannah's knowledge and relative experience offshore and in particularly in Open and Class 40's make her a good choice to head up this exciting project and its an excellent opportunity to further her offshore racing career.'
As part of her role as skipper for the race, Hannah will be responsible for training the crew both on and off the water. The various team members will work on their designated positions in order to get the boat and themselves in the best possible shape for the race.
Hannah added 'This is an amazing opportunity for me. Taking part in this new exciting race, and being involved from start to finish on such a great boat is a dream come true. I can't wait to confirm the crew and get cracking with the final preparations. There is a lot to do, and we all have a lot to learn, and time isn't much of a luxury. However I have every confidence that on 15th November I will have a boat that is totally prepared and a crew who will put their all into this race.'
Hannah's long-term sponsors, Helly Hansen, will be supporting the girls in the race.
Team selections for the crew started in August and the final trials are taking place with a full announcement planned for the Southampton Boat Show. Hannah will select 4 others to sail the 4321nm to the Spice Island, Grenada.
As part of Hannah's long-term commitment to delivering high-quality media to those around the country she will be keeping a blog, with video and photos on her website as well as the Spice Race website throughout the preparations and duration of the race.
For more information on the race or to register your interest in competing, please contact the team, www.spicerace.com