'Mission Performance' named ahead of Clipper 13-14 Race Start

(l to r) Rob Lewis, Christiaan Mcleod, Sir Robin Knox-Johnson and Paul Vice who was awarded the Military Cross during the naming of the Mission Performance Yacht in St Katharine Docks © Scott Heavey / PA Wire

(l to r) Matt Mitchell, Rob Lewis, Christiaan Mcleod, Sir Robin Knox-Johnson and Paul Vice who was awarded the Military Cross during the naming of the Mission Performance Yacht in St Katharine Docks, London © Scott Heavey / PA Wire

Clipper Ventures Official Learning and Development Partner, and first time Team Sponsors of the Clipper Race, Mission Performance Limited, officially named their yacht entry yesterday. The yacht is one of the new state of the art fleet of ocean racers debuting in the latest edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

The founder and chairman of the Clipper Race, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston joined Corporal Paul Vice, Military Cross, Royal Marines and Founding Directors of Mission Performance, Rob Lewis and Christiaan Mcleod, to christen the 70ft ocean racer, Mission Performance, which is competing in the Clipper 13-14 Race.

Paul Vice represents the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund (RMCTF). Mission Performance are supporting the trust in its efforts to raise 6 million pounds by 2014. This money will enable the charity to deliver a range of objectives, one of which is to support wounded and injured Royal Marines making their transition into civilian life.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Clipper Race Founder and Chairman said: "I am very proud to launch the first ever Mission Performance team yacht. Mission Performance now have a strong association with the Royal Marines, an organisation I know and respect immensely. If they can instil even a fraction of the camaraderie, professionalism, and determination of the Royal Marines I have experienced, into the culture of their team, they will certainly be a force to be reckoned with."

Mission Performance Limited has been transferring the lessons from challenging environments to business for the last twelve years. It operates globally with a group of elite mountaineers, decorated soldiers, ocean rowers, pilots, polar explorers, actors and elite sportsmen and women and now adds the ocean racing skipper and crew of the Mission Performance yacht to its impressive team.

Rob Lewis, Founding Director Mission Performance, said: "We are proud to officially christen the Mission Performance yacht in the Clipper 2013-14 race. The ethos and philosophy of the race aligns with our values and will underpin our efforts to promote the race and Mission Performance to a wider corporate market.

Christiaan Mcleod, Founding Director, Mission Performance said: "The Clipper Race affords us the opportunity to study and capture lessons from ocean racing. The competitive racing format, mixed with a team that changes with every race leg, mirrors many of the challenges faced by our corporate clients. We aim to transfer these lessons into very practical training modules that can be used to support a range of internal and external engagement initiatives."

The Clipper 13-14 Race will set off from St Katharine Docks, London on Sunday, 1 September on a 40,000-mile journey around the globe, making it the world's longest ocean race, stopping at 15 ports on six continents over 11 months. For more information visit www.clipperroundtheworld.com