The Minister for Sport and Tourism congratulated Peter Thornton on his appointment outside the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday
Experienced Cornish yachtsman Peter Thornton MBE has been revealed as the skipper of the GREAT Britain yacht that will fly the flag for the UK in the tenth edition of the famous Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
The race, which sets sail from London on 30 August 2015, will see twelve teams compete as they travel more than 40,000 miles around the world.
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Minister for Sport and Tourism Tracy Crouch congratulated the 37-year-old, saying: “Congratulations to Peter Thornton on his selection as the skipper of the GREAT Britain team in the Clipper 2015-16 Race.
“I wish the whole team the very best of luck as they represent and showcase our great country in every corner of the world in this unique sporting challenge. I look forward to celebrating what will be an enormous achievement on their return.”
The GREAT Britain yacht is the second consecutive entry in the Clipper Race following a highly successful campaign in 2013/14.
Skipper Peter Thornton, said: “As a professional sailor who has dedicated a lot of my career to serving my country, I feel incredibly proud to be named as the skipper of the GREAT Britain entry.”
“Myself and my crew are very excited for the challenges ahead and look forward to representing everything Great Britain stands for as we race around the world.”
GREAT Britian Clipper yacht leaving San Francisco
Inspired by childhood visits to see his father who served in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Peter’s professional seafaring career started aged 18 when he too joined the RFA as a Deck Officer Cadet.
He excelled quickly and, aged 25, was awarded an MBE for a period of service as the Flag Lieutenant to the First Sea Lord and Admiralty Board.
With 20 years sailing and global racing experience, Peter is looking forward to putting his skills into practice in the world’s longest ocean race.
“What attracted me to the Clipper Race is that it is a fantastic opportunity to put what I’ve learnt so far at sea into a race which I really believe has no equal.
“To be able to lead a team of non-professional sailors across the world’s toughest oceans in a competitive racing environment is a great challenge, and one I can’t wait to start,” added Peter.
More than 670 crew will take part in the Clipper 2015/16 Race from the UK with over 40 different nationalities represented.