AN Isle of Wight yachtswoman is preparing to lead a crew of amateur sailors around the world.

Following in the footsteps of Ellen MacArthur and Emma Richards, who set sail on the second leg of the Around Alone challenge on Monday, Samantha Fuller, will become the third female skipper in three years from the region to lead a round the world challenge.

She will be setting off later this month on the biennial Clipper yacht race, in which eight identical 60ft yachts battle it out in the world's longest circumnavigation of the globe.

Currently she is en route to Liverpool dock to prepare for the start of the Clipper 2002 around the World race.

Samantha, 25, is one of eight professional skippers employed by Southampton based company and race organisers, Clipper Ventures.

She will lead a crew of 14 paying amateurs as they battle against seven identical 60ft yachts for more than 11 months and 35,000 miles of ocean.

For the first time in the history of the seven-year-old event, international cities were invited to have an entry in the race. Competitive teams representing Hong Kong, Glasgow, Cape Town, Jersey, Liverpool, London, Bristol and New York have accepted the challenge.

Samantha will be leading the New York challenge and she is optimistic ahead of the race.

She said: "Opportunities for ordinary people to sail around the world and achieve the extraordinary are few and far between.

"We will fly the New York flag proudly and the stopover in New York in August 2003 promises to be especially rewarding for our crew.

With more than 50,000 sea miles under her belt, the sailing and windsurfing instructor, who lives in Cowes, recently skippered Albatross - a 67 ft ex-BT Global Challenge yacht on behalf of the UK Sailing Academy .

Originally from Colchester, Essex, Samantha's sailing career began at school sailing Toppers and Wayfarers. Success followed with victory in the Colne Yacht Club Cadet week.

In 1991 Samantha crewed the Sigma 41 Lady Hysteria for successive club races and went on to crew the Sigma 400 Independent Bear.

The 2002 Clipper race, which usually starts from the south coast, begins at Liverpool's Albert Dock on October 27, 2002. The competitors are expected to return on September 27, 2003.

RACE PLANNER:

Depart Liverpool, October 27, 2002.

First Leg - Liverpool - Portugal - Cuba (5,300 miles).

Second Leg - Cuba - Panama - Galapagos - Hawaii (6,100 miles).

Third Leg - Hawaii - Japan - Shanghai - Hong Kong (600 miles).

Fourth Leg - Hong Kong - Philippines - Singapore - Mauritius (5,400 miles).

Fifth Leg - Mauritius - Cape Town - Salvador - Brazil (5,800 miles).

Sixth Leg - Brazil - New York - Jersey - Liverpool (7,100 miles).

Race Finish, Liverpool, September 27, 2003.