A LEGENDARY yacht has returned to Southampton after almost three decades.

Maiden which made history when it was the first yacht to be sailed by an all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Race, in 1990, has returned to Hampshire.

The boat will now undergo restoration, over the next year, before embarking on a global campaign - The Maiden Factor - to give more girls around the world access to a basic education.

The restoration and global campaign is being made possible by HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan in memory of her father, King Hussein I.

Skipper Tracy Edwards was one of the sailors on board when Maiden sailed into the record books and defied critics who thought the all-girl crew would not be up to the test.

She won two legs of the race and came second overall equalling the best result for a British boat.

Tracy, who has campaigned tirelessly to get the Maiden back to Southampton, said it was shocking that over 61 million girls around the world were still denied one of the most basic rights - access to an education.

"The struggle to get Maiden to the start line represents the barriers faced by so many, whilst also proving to the world that girls can overcome them and achieve great things.

"The crew of Maiden faced many obstacles and prejudices. Very few people believed an all-female crew could complete the race and not only did we prove everyone wrong, we won two legs and came second overall.

"Now we would like to do the same for women around the world, who are being denied an education and the opportunity to reach their full potential."

Princess Haya said her father would have been the first to offer his support and guidance to the new Maiden project.

She added: "I, as a young girl, fondly remember his 'hands-on' involvement with the original project which made sporting history, and surprisingly feel how the issues of female equality and values he championed all those years ago seem even more relevant today.

"As his daughter, I feel honoured and humbled to be involved with the resurrection of the Maiden project as it embarks on its new chapter of maritime history.

"The knowledge that Maiden will once again travel the seas, means not only will the memory and legacy of my late father live on but we can all use this a platform to highlight the need of equal access to education for girls in all corners of the globe, referencing something that he always believed in: 'anything is possible'."

The 58ft yacht started life as Disque D'or 3 and was skippered by Switzerland's Pierre Fehlmann to fourth place in the 1981-82 Whitbread race.

She will be restored at Hamble Yacht Services, where she was originally fitted out for the 1990 race.