The legendary Whitbread Round The World Race will forever be linked to Great Britain with those iconic images of 17 classic yachts sailing down the Solent into the unknown.

It was the start of the first ever fully crewed yacht race around the world on September 8th, 1973. No one knew what would happen. Eight months later, passing the Needles on the way to the finish, the legend of the Whitbread was set. It had cost the lives of three sailors swept overboard, but changed the lives of every sailor who had participated. With the Whitbread so connected to British yachting history, it was ironic that none had entered the Ocean Globe Race until now, with the French contingent leading the charge for honours in this 50th anniversary celebration of that first race.

Tracy Edwards, who expressed early interest in the OGR, had her plans for Maidendisrupted by the global pandemic. The iconic yacht had to stop then resume her world tour in September 2021. Her ongoing mission is to educate, empower and elevate girls, increasing their life and career choices through the all-woman Maiden Whitbread story. The crew engaged with schools, charities and organisations in more than 20 destinations around the world, raising money to fund girls’ educational projects.

Now, Tracy Edwards MBE and DP World, the sponsor of The Maiden Factor World Tour, have seen a new opportunity to further their objectives and announced that Maiden and her all-female crew will enter the…