Lawyer Ruth Harvey, who left her profession to dream of becoming a sailor, is suing the organisers of the Clipper Round the World Race. The woman accuses Robin Knox-Johnston of improper attitude towards yachtsmen.
She says she paid £40 000 for her participation in the race but did the same job on board as a hired crew and therefore she may be considered to be an employee of the company organizing the competition. Moreover, the professional yachtsmen who accompanied the amateurs aboard the boats humiliated, harassed the woman and constantly dumped all her responsibilities on her.
The plaintiff also noted that she was forced to quit the race long before its end because of the bad relationship in the team.
According to the latest information, the case has been submitted to the court dealing with individual labour disputes. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the founder of the Clipper Round the World Race and the first person to have made a non-stop round-the-world voyage, will appear as a defendant personally. He declined to comment on the situation.
