队伍成员

Huw Fernie; Emily Bambridge; Vernon Barker; Pablo Borrego Rutllant;

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Visit Seattle

队伍介绍

Huw Fernie turned his back on a career in aeronautical engineering for his real passion of sailing, which began as a child while holidaying with his grandparents.

31-year-old Huw from Falmouth, Cornwall, is very familiar with the Clipper Race, having worked as a training mate for the crew heading off on their 40,000-mile voyage since 2012.

Now Huw will be embarking on his own adventure, he says he cannot wait to get going: “It felt like the timing was right because I've known about the Clipper Race for so long and had a lot of encouragement from previous race skippers and also from the crews I've trained. I've always wanted to sail around the world and the challenge of doing it in a race seems like a great idea.”

After getting his degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Glasgow University, Huw turned his attention to sailing full-time and has already experienced sailing some of the Clipper Race route.

In the past Huw has delivered yachts down to Australia for the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race and when his crew line up for the Leg 4 event on December 26, 2015, it will be his third time competing in the celebrated Boxing Day extravaganza.

He said: “I like getting involved with challenges and have been lucky enough to work with a couple of people I really admire. I helped Sir Robin Knox-Johnston prepare his boat for the 2006-07 Velux 5 Oceans Race and I was part of the team who helped sailor Hilary Lister, who is quadriplegic, sail around Britain in 2009.”

“The race gives us a great opportunity to take the iconic image of our skyline across the globe and helps to position our city as an exciting, international destination,” said Tom Norwalk, President and CEO of Team Sponsor Visit Seattle.

Visit Seattle is a private, non-profit destination marketing organisation.

As Seattle continues to grow into a top international destination for tourists and business travellers, the new Team Sponsor will use this partnership to publicise the city to key markets during race stopovers.

Its goal through its marketing efforts is to enhance the employment opportunities and economic prosperity of the region.

“We are excited to brand a boat with the colours of the Emerald City and our iconic skyline to help further this growth,” continued Norwalk.

Seattle is home to industry leaders such as Microsoft, Amazon.com and Boeing.

“As Seattle continues to develop into a world-class sports city, we are thrilled to welcome the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race to the shores of Elliott Bay and our beautiful downtown,” added Ralph Morton, Executive Director of the Seattle Sports Commission.

“We are a city of innovation, a city that in many ways has helped shrink the world because of our aeroplanes, our computer software and our burning desire to make a difference. This skill set and mentality is also necessary for the courageous crew who are about to circumnavigate the globe,” added Ralph.

Visit Seattle representatives will visit key cities on the race to network, hold events and promote Seattle as a destination.

The city will also be a Host Port, welcoming the crew at the end of the Mighty Pacific leg from Qingdao, China, in April 2016.