Ellen MacArthur Trust Ambassdor Dan Monk takes the helm as he set sails from Liverpool
Today Ellen MacArthur Trust Ambassador Dan Monk set sail from Liverpool for the start of the 35,000-mile Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race. Dan who started the race onboard the 68-foot monohull “Liverpool 07/08” will race with nine other boats all sailing with an amateur crew, and a professional skipper. The first leg will see Dan take centre stage as he helms his boat the 610 miles to the port of La Rochelle, with the fleet due to arrive on Wednesday 19 September.
Dan who has been sailing with The Trust since 2003, has survived two bouts of leukeamia since his first diagnosis in 2001. Throughout his treatment Dan focused on sailing, soon finding a real passion for the sport. As well as joining the four-day sailing trips run by The Trust, Dan soon became involved in various races and regatta such as the JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race and Skandia Cowes Week. It was clear that he wanted to take his sailing seriously so with the support of The Trust and UKSA (United Kingdom Sailing Academy) he took on the Professional Yachtmaster course, successfully qualifying May 2007.
Dan and the other 400 sailors (with 27 nationalities represented), will take ten months to complete the Clipper Race. Finally returning to Liverpool on the 19th July 2008 . The ten boat fleet was seen off amid a flotilla of boats along the River Mersey, among the supporters on the water saying goodbye was Trust patron and round the world record holder Ellen MacArthur.
“It was fantastic to see Dan off today. It has been amazing to see him grow over the last few years and I know that everyone at The Trust is immensely proud of Dan and wishes him every success in his journey”.
Each of the ten boats taking part will act as a floating billboard around the world for its city sponsor. The international line up competing in Clipper 07-08 includes Liverpool 08, Durban 2010, westernaustralia2011.com, Hull & Humber, Uniquely Singapore, Qingdao, Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper, Jamaica and New York.
Since The Ellen MacArthur Trust conceived the idea of Dan taking on this challenge, he has spent the past four weeks training for the 35,000-mile journey ahead of him. Crucial to his inclusion in the race was The Phillip Green Memorial Trust and JPMorgan Asset Management who stepped forward to sponsor Dan throughout the trip.
“ I am so excited to be starting the race, if not a little nervous, said Dan before the start. “ I cannot thank everyone enough for their support over the last month, it seems to have flown by and I can’t believe that I’m about to leave for this amazing adventure, it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to everyone but I cannot wait to get started”.
You can follow Dan’s trip by logging onto the Ellen MacArthur Trust website http://www.ellenmacarthurtrust.org, where Dan’s web page will be updated regularly by Dan as he sails the 35,000 miles around the world over the next ten months.
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