Prior Park College welcomed Tracy Edwards MBE for the inaugural lecture of the Ralph Allen Memorial Lecture Society. Tracy inspired the audience with many tales of yachting and after speaking for an hour, she took questions from students and parents.
Prior Park College welcomed Tracy Edwards MBE for the inaugural lecture of the Ralph Allen Memorial Lecture Society. Tracy inspired the audience with many tales of yachting and after speaking for an hour, she took questions from students and parents.
Tracy shot to international fame in 1989 as the skipper of the first all female crew to sail around the world in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. Then in 1990 she was awarded the title of ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ and an MBE.
Following her groundbreaking success with the Maiden voyage, Tracy set to consolidate her position as one of the world’s top sailors by entering Trophy Jules Verne in 1998, again with an all-female crew. This yachting trophy is for the fastest circumnavigation around the world with no stopping and no outside assistance. Tracy and her crew broke seven world records during their two-year programme.
Prior Park College Headmaster, James Murphy-O’Connor, comments:
“The audience was truly captivated by Tracy’s tales of adventure on the open seas. For me, the most inspiring part of the talk was the way Tracy described that it wasn’t all plain sailing, sometimes it was hard work, however her determination to succeed won over and she overcame any obstacle in her way.
“I believe I speak on behalf of everyone who attended in saying thank you to Tracy, who made the evening so enjoyable. We are extremely pleased with how the inaugural lecture of the Ralph Allen Memorial Lecture Society went, as we are aiming to inspire and educate our students whilst introducing them to some very talented individuals. We look forward to the next Ralph Allen Memorial lecture in February, which should be another very popular event.”
