The yacht had proven itself seaworthy racing in two global competitions but was christened last week as the flagship of Xplore Expeditions.

‘We're sad that The Challenge Business is at an end but happy the yacht is going to have a new life doing something it was built for,’ said Tim Petitt, technical manager of The Challenge Business.

The boat will now begin a year-long voyage to the southern hemisphere with skipper and expedition leader Stephen Wilkins at the helm. The expedition will take a crew of paying visitors down past the Falkland Islands, to the tip of South America and on to Antarctica.