Raymarine, the Portsmouth-based marine electronics company, has announced it is to become the title sponsor of The Lively Lady Project. This exciting round the world sailing experience aims to help disadvantaged young adults – predominantly from the Portsmouth area – to change their lives for the better is now to be renamed The Raymarine Lively Lady Project.

Lively Lady is the historic wooden sailing boat that took Portsmouth grocer Sir Alec Rose to Australia and back in 1968. Believing that anybody can and should realise their dreams, Sir Alec Rose bequeathed Lively Lady to the City of Portsmouth, intending that she should be used to help disadvantaged young adults realise their potential.

The Raymarine Lively Lady Project is headed up by British ocean adventurer Alan Priddy, another entrepreneurial Portsmouth businessman, who was inspired by Sir Alec Rose as a child. With The Raymarine Lively Lady Project, Alan Priddy is continuing this legacy, creating an exciting challenge, which will take 54 young people from the Portsmouth area around the world on board this 36 foot (11m) sailing yacht. The expedition will depart from Portsmouth in July 2006, and makes 27 stops – including Portsmouth, USA – before returning one year later.

Each of the 27 legs of the trip will have a crew of four on board; Alan Priddy, a co-skipper, and two young adults. Aged between 16 and 25, these young adults are selected with the help of Portsmouth Outdoor Education Unit, and The Meridian Trust Association. Each applicant has to go through a rigorous selection process, being assessed for teamwork, leadership, and initiative. From a shortlist of 100, a crew of 54 will take part in the sailing, with the rest providing key shore-based support. The co-skippers are chosen from experienced adult sailors, and include two members of staff from Raymarine, who won their places in an internal company competition.

Fiona Pankhurst, International Marketing Communications Manager at Raymarine said, “We are delighted to be able to make a major contribution to this project that will see a large number of young people from the Portsmouth area getting involved with a project that will change their lives. Raymarine has been involved with this project from the start, providing essential navigational and autopilot equipment for Lively Lady, but this additional support will help ensure the expedition can take place this summer. Sir Alec Rose was helped on his original trip thanks to the generosity of local Portsmouth businesses, and we are proud to be able to carry on this tradition.”

Raymarine is based at Northarbour Road in Portsmouth, and is one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of marine electronics for sail and power boats. The company was asked by Alan Priddy to assist with refitting Lively Lady, creating and installing the autopilot system that will take the boat safely around the world.

As title sponsors, Raymarine will be taking an active involvement in the project. Two members of its staff have been selected to take part as co-skippers, and as Lively Lady and her crew travel around the world they will be welcomed into ports by Raymarine dealers, who are located around the world. The crew and skippers will also become Raymarine’s goodwill ambassadors, which include local Honda Raceboat Champions Shelley Jory and Libby Keir, and single-handed yachtswoman Emma Richards.

Details of the route, biographies of Alan Priddy and the Raymarine co-skippers, and details of the potential crew members at the launch are attached.