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Girl power inspires AkzoNobel’s restoration of long lost racing yacht
September 20, 2018
A yacht which has twice raced around the world has been rescued from oblivion and made shipshape with AkzoNobel products as it prepares to embark on a global voyage of hope.
The Maiden yacht was the first boat in the history of the Whitbread Round the World Race (now the Volvo Ocean Race) to feature an all-female crew. After being abandoned, it has now been fully restored with the company’s yacht coatings ahead of a worldwide tour which will help raise awareness and fundraise for girls’ education.
Tracy Edwards, who skippered Maiden in that historic 1989 race, found it languishing in a boatyard in the Seychelles and set about raising money for its restoration. With the work now complete, the yacht is set to circumnavigate the globe for a third time.
A yacht which has twice raced around the world has been rescued from oblivion and made shipshape with AkzoNobel products as it prepares to embark on a global voyage of hope.
The Maiden yacht was the first boat in the history of the Whitbread Round the World Race (now the Volvo Ocean Race) to feature an all-female crew. After being abandoned, it has now been fully restored with the company’s yacht coatings ahead of a worldwide tour which will help raise awareness and fundraise for girls’ education.
Tracy Edwards, who skippered Maiden in that historic 1989 race, found it languishing in a boatyard in the Seychelles and set about raising money for its restoration. With the work now complete, the yacht is set to circumnavigate the globe for a third time.
The end of Maiden’s restoration – which has been supported by Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, the daughter of King Hussein I – comes just a few months after the finale of the latest Volvo Ocean Race. AkzoNobel was the official Boatyard supplier for the event and provided the coatings for all seven competing yachts, including team AkzoNobel, which finished fourth overall.
One of the guest skippers during the three-year voyage will be Dee Caffari, who skippered the Turn the Tide on Plastic boat in the recent Volvo Ocean Race. Commenting on the restoration, she said: “It’s 30 years since the iconic Maiden yacht forged a pathway with a special team of women. Now she is back and continuing to push boundaries and help make a difference. Back in her Whitbread glory she was coated by AkzoNobel, and today she has been made to look fantastic again by the same company. The support to The Maiden Factor has been incredible and is testament to the impact she has made, and is continuing to make, on so many people.”
To learn more about AkzoNobel Yacht Coatings, visit http://www.yachtpaint.com.
