Amateur sailor Tessa Hicks from Ramsbury has set sail on an 11 month world tour as part of a crew taking part in the Clipper Round the World race.

Ms Hicks, a self-employed GP, is on board the GREAT Britain yacht that has been funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Ms Hicks, 59, said: “I am absolutely delighted to be on the GREAT Britain yacht. As a patriotic soul, I could not wish to be on a better yacht!”

She has been appointed the yacht medic because of her extensive medical training.

Ms Hicks continued: “Time will tell how the team gels when we are stressed, cold, hungry, wet and facing challenging waves and winds! I am feeling excited, apprehensive, thrilled, and terrified.

“I am looking forward to the sheer adventure of it all, as well as using the opportunity to raise funds for such a worthwhile charity as UNICEF.”

She has already raised over £500 for the charity UNICEF and hopes to boost the total to £2,000 by the end of the race.

The crew set sail from Liverpool’s Albert Docks on Sunday with a dozen crews manning 70ft yachts.

712 amateur sailors will now travel the 40,000 mile route of the Clipper Round the World Yacht race.

The race will take them to ports in six continents and the first leg takes them from Liverpool and across the Atlantic to South America.

Ms Hicks and her crew have all gone through two, four day long training session in Portsmouth where they learnt sailing basics to help man the yacht.

Ms Hick’s team will be involved in efforts to promote Great Britain throughout the world as part of their involvement in the boating challenge that began in 1996.