Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s Open 60 Saga Insurance was officially named by Queen drummer Roger Taylor at Gunwharf Keys, Portsmouth yesterday. The British yachtsman is preparing to race the newly-sponsored boat in the Velux 5 Ocean race this October.

It may be 37 years since Sir Robin, the oldest skipper in the 5 Oceans fleet, set the record as the first person to sail single-handed non-stop round the world, but the 67-year-old hasn’t had much time to think about it:

‘While there has been much curiosity about my position as the oldest skipper taking part, I have been far too busy living life and getting everything in place for a successful campaign to ponder the subject of age!’

Sir Robin has certainly been busy with the new project over the last few months; not only completing the necessary solo qualifying passage, but overseeing a major refit of the boat in preparation for the difficult offshore conditions that lie ahead.

You can see the yacht at Gunwharf Quays this weekend; next week Sir Robin and Saga Insurance will leave British waters to make final preparations in Bilbao, Spain, from where the race starts on 22 October.