Water Babes - Ten Girls Yacht Racing Around Britain and Ireland.

Ten remarkable women are racing in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Yacht Race for a charity which uses sailing to help cancers sufferers and their families to cope with their disease. The girls hope to raise £100,000 and have had some fantasic support including a £12,000 campaign donation from ERM a leading environmental management company and sponsorship from Fat Face. They are now looking for a title sponsor as well as fundraising donations for the charity sail4cancer.org. These inspirational women are brought together by Global Yacht Racing (globalyachtracing.com) for a summer of training and yacht racing to prepare them for up to 2000 nautical miles at sea over an intense racing period of around two weeks.

(PRWEB) May 8, 2006 -- In August next year, ten remarkable women will be racing with Global Yacht Racing (www.globalyachtracing.com) in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race 2006. They are hoping to raise funds for cancer charity Sail 4 Cancer and have set themselves the massive target of £100,000.

This race represents a true achievement that will provide an unforgettable experience for the all girl amateur crew of the Global Yacht Racing charity yacht who will not only be braving all conditions in the circumnavigation of Britain but will also be supporting a charity close to their hearts.

Sail 4 Cancer (WWW.Sail4Cancer.org) uses sailing as medium to raise funds for cancer treatment, research, care and rehabilitation and also provide sailing opportunities for cancer sufferers and their families. It has branches in UK and Australia.

The money that is donated will pay for 10 sailing centers around Britain and Ireland to provide over 300 ongoing sailing opportunities to cancer patients and their families. These centers will be the Sail 4 Cancer’s ambassadors and will encourage links with their local hospices and cancer support groups enabling the center to be a break from living with the disease.

The challenging race is run by the Royal Ocean Racing Club and is due to start from the Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes, Isle of Wight on Monday 7th August 2006. The approximate race distance around the British Isles is some 1760 miles and the first yachts should cross the finishing line about ten days after the start.

The team have now completed the first stage of training and started racing with the Cervantes Race organised by RORC (Royal Ocean Racing Club) on the 29th April 2006. They finished 9th in IRC 0 and their first race as a team only added to their enthusiasm for offshore racing.

Crew member Kate Stallard expresses why she is so passionate to complete the challenge for Sail 4 Cancer “When you get off a boat and you’re standing on the pontoon, as you wipe the salt from behind your ears you think back and remember the clean air rushing into your lungs, the porpoise playing in the bow wave, the sun set not crowded by buildings or trees, and the camaraderie of your team. The ocean delivers us a sense of freedom like no other...so why would you not want to support a charity that gives people the opportunity to go and play in the biggest playground on earth and the opportunity to live a lot more?”

During the next three months the girls will be challenged with not only tackling the tough conditions of the English Channel in the RORC qualifying races but also working towards their target sum of £100,000. Andy Middleton, Managing Director of Global Yacht Racing and trainer of the girls team comments:

“The RORC season and the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race could include tough racing conditions but I am confident that the 50ft Beneteau 47.7 race cruiser that Global Yacht has chosen for the season will provide an excellent mix of performance and strength to take on an offshore race of this magnitude”.

Global Yacht Racing are also looking for motivated, adventurous individuals to take part in a variety of worldwide yacht races, full training yacht race coaching is given. To apply for a place in worldwide ocean races or regattas such as the Rolex Sydney to Hobart, The Fastnet, Skandia Cowes Week or Antigua Race Week check out the company's website.

Recent success includes a fundraising Easter dinner hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club where a total of £1193.15 was raised. During the Warsash Spring Series the girls have also been busy putting their customer service skills to the test by washing cars and delivering coffees and bacon sandwiches to raise more donations. Their pub quizzes and parties are also legendary! You can get all the news about the girls at their homepage on the Sail 4 Cancer website. (sail4cancer.org)

To find out more or donate to the girl’s campaign check out www.sail4cancer.org

If you want to join a team racing in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race contact Claire at Global Yacht Racing on +44 (0) 1983299667 or visit the Global Yacht Racing Website at www.globalyachtracing.com