Rookie Kiwi sailors recruited for gruelling round the world race

Clipper Around the World Race yachts in the 2011 competition.

Rookie sailors who have never before even set foot on a boat are being recruited for a gruelling round the world yacht race.

Twelve New Zealanders have already signed up for the 2015 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, which begins in August.

But organisers are still asking amateurs - who don't need any sailing experience - to sign up for the 64,000 km, 11-month long ocean odyssey.

Rookies will undergo three compulsory and comprehensive training sessions in Sydney before a final schooling in the UK.

Unlike the Volvo Ocean Race, which is only for professional sailors and currently on a stopover at Auckland, the Clipper race is open to anyone regardless of experience.

Forty per cent of crew members have never sailed before they start training.

They will race on 70ft (21.3m) Clipper yachts crewed by 23 people against international amateur sailors, aged over 18, that include farmers, miners, doctors, truck drivers and housewives.

Auckland communications manager Eileen Harrison is signed up for two of the eight legs on the race, and will sail from the UK to Cape Town, South Africa, via Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

"When I first saw the race advertised, I knew my life was about to change," she said.

"I realised that if I could complete something epic in my life, then my life may well become rather epic itself."

Brett Arthur, a company director also from Auckland, has also joined a crew.

"I am most looking forward to being involved in a close-knit team, being solely focussed on a single objective and experiencing the bond that only a shared experience can bring," he said.

The Clipper Race was established in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world in 1968-69.

His aim was to allow anyone, regardless of previous sailing experience, the chance to "embrace the thrill of ocean racing".

The 2015-16 edition of the race starts in the UK on August 30 but still has spots available on most legs.

Crew recruitment talks that feature more information are being held at Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club, Oriental Bay in Wellington on March 10 and Royal Akarana Yacht Club, Okahu Bay in Auckland on March 11.