OCEAN racing yacht PSP Logistics, skippered by Petersfield’s Matt Mitchell, passed through the Panama Canal as the Clipper 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race fleet reached the iconic waterway.

This is the third time Hampshire-based company PSP Logistics has branded a boat in the Clipper Race, a 40,000 nautical mile ocean challenge for non-professional sailors from all walks of life and from all over the world.

After racing for two weeks from Seattle to Panama, PSP Logistics joined the other ten 70-foot Clipper Race boats in transiting the 78-kilometre Panama Canal, ahead of the 1,900nm leg to New York.

The PSP Logistic logo is a comming sight on container ships negotiating the canal, but Mitchell and his crew were seeing the industrial wonder for the first time.

Mitchell said: “It really was a highlight of our round-the-world adventure. The feat of engineering was awe-inspiring and we also loved seeing the communities we passed and the changing vistas along the way.”

PSP Logistics is also responsible for the Clipper Race circumnavigation – the movement of the containers carrying vital maintenance equipment to keep the 11 Clipper 70 yachts going throughout their year-long event.

These four crucial containers criss-cross the globe, making their way by sea, rail, and road to each of the 13 host ports spread across six of the seven continents.

Frank Dixie, founder and managing director of PSP Logistics, said: “The key to ensuring the containers are in the right place at the right time,is to have meticulously planned each stage of the logistics, working with reliable and professional partners in each of the destinations.

“As most of the stop-overs are in completely different time zones, a local representative is essential when communicating updates and helping on the ground.

“This is our fifth race as the official logistics partner and we are hugely proud and excited to be a part of such an incredible global event.”

PSP Logistics is currently sixth in the overall Clipper Race standings and has featured on the podium four times, including winning race 7 from the Whitsundays, Australia, to Sanya in China.

There are three of the 13 races to go before the event finished in Liverpool on July 28. To follow the race, visit www.clipperroundtheworld.com