New Pindar christened

At big ceremony in Scarborough yesterday

Emma Richards, the solo round-the-world British yachtswoman, named her new Open 60 racing yacht at Lighthouse Pier in Scarborough, Yorkshire yesterday afternoon.

In the ceremony, which was attended by more than 500 people, the 18 month old Owen-Clark design yacht was re-named Pindar of Scarborough after Emma's sponsors of the past four years, Pindar, the leading international print and electronic media company which has been based in Scarborough throughout its 167 year history. The naming was undertaken by Caroline Pindar, wife of Group Chairman, Andrew Pindar, who was the driving force behind the original sponsorship over four years ago.

The new yacht, which spent the summer undergoing a major re-fit in Cherbourg, France, will debut in Pindar’s colours at the Transat Jacques Vabre. The prestigious double handed race from Le Havre, France, to Salvador, Brazil, starts on 1st November 2003, and Richards will compete in the race with one of the world’s leading sailors, Mike Sanderson. Sanderson, from New Zealand, has three America’s Cup campaigns and two Whitbread round-the-world races under his belt, and will form a formidable partnership with Richards.

In addition to their first class team on the water, Pindar has also secured partnerships with a number of leading companies to support their sponsorship of Emma. HSBC, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations in the world, has signed Emma as an Ambassador of the HSBC Education Trust. Other key partners in Pindar’s new campaign are Raymarine, Henri Lloyd and Harken who have signed agreements to provide the team with specialist sailing products, equipment and clothing.



Richards, commented: "It was fantastic to do the naming ceremony in Scarborough, and to be able to show so many of Pindar’s employees our new yacht. Scarborough has become a second home to me as all my ‘adopted family’ at Pindar are based there, and I am so proud to carry the name of the town on the back of the new yacht."

"We are absolutely thrilled that we were able to bring the new yacht to Scarborough, our home, and to be able to involve so many people in the naming ceremony," added sponsor Andrew Pindar. "Emma and her team have worked very hard over the summer in preparing the yacht, and it looks fantastic."

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