A University of Southampton graduate is preparing to sail in the prestigious Ocean Globe Race 2023, commencing this Sunday (September 10) from Southampton's Ocean Village.
Anne De Kerviler, an avid sailor – graduated this summer with an MA in Ship Science - she will be competing with 14 other yachts in the four-leg, 27,000-mile race around the world.
Her journey will start in Southampton, setting sail at 13:00pm before heading over to South Africa, then to Auckland (New Zealand), Punta del Este (Uruguay) and back to Southampton in April 2024.
This race is different from others in the past for a number of reasons as explained by Anne: "It is an eight-month race around the world on yachts designed before 1988 to mark the fiftieth anniversary since the first Globe Race in 1973 - The Whitbread.
"There will be no computers, or GPS so a great way to embrace nature and the stars in the skies."
Anne will be part of 12 for Team Pen Duick VI, a French racing team led by female captain Marie Tabarly, daughter of famous French sailor Eric Tabarly.
Anne added: "I am most excited about the experience and just being a part of it, but also passing the equator and going south as this is such an achievement for a sailor, it is a lot less travelled which makes it pretty cool to achieve."
Supported by the University, Anne's professors and her peers have been beside her every step of the way. She said: "Everyone has been so supportive especially when I had to go to qualification races and assessments.
"My Master's degree has helped me to understand more about boats, their motion and the design of sails, not to mention how your boat moves in the water, the impact of the wind and the waves for example.
"My overall knowledge about boats has enhanced a lot which has really helped me to improve my sailing overall."
