HAMPSHIRE sailors are tonight gearing up for the next leg of the Round the World Clipper Yacht race.
Boats set sail from Sydney in Australia at 1pm local time tomorrow – 2am Greenwich Meantime – to head to the Tasmanian city of Hobart.
Crews preparing for the 628 nautical mile Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht race leg clinched an extra boost when Father Christmas visited the marina today bearing gifts and champagne.
They are expected to arrive in Hobart on Sunday.
Twelve people from Hampshire are taking part, including former Southampton City College principal Lindsey Noble from Winchester and Charlie Pickering, 58, from Southampton, aboard the yacht Switzerland.
OneDLL’s crew includes 63-year-old Dave Richards from Southampton and is skippered by Cowes-based Ollie Cotterell, while Gareth Glover from Gosport skippers Qingdao.
PSP Logistics is sponsored by the Fareham-based freight forwarder.
The 40,000-mile race, skippered by professionals but crewed by novices, is expected to end in London’s St Katherine’s dock in July next year, where it began nearly a year before.
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