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Dalton launches race website

School children will be able to 'virtually' sail in Hexagon

LONDON, England (CNN) -- New Zealander Graham Dalton has launched an educational website to follow his entry into the Around Alone yacht race with the help of a London-based Maori group.

The Maori war dance, or haka, was performed by Ngati Ranana Maori Club at the ceremony in London on Monday to launch the website where children can follow his yacht Hexagon in the round-the-world race.

Around Alone begins from Newport, Rhode Island, U.S., on September 15 as solo competitors attempt to sail round the world with stops in Torbay, England, Cape Town, South Africa, Tauranga, New Zealand and Salvador da Bahia, Brazil before returning to Newport in April 2003.

Hexagon, sponsored by international banking group HSBC, was designed by UK-based Owen Clarke Design Group, co-designers of Briton Ellen MacArthur's Kingfisher, which finished second in the last Vendée Globe. It was built in New Zealand and launched in February.

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To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the 28,800 nautical mile (33,140 mile) race is returning to its original port of Newport.

A prologue race will see the 18 competitors sail from Newport to New York City on 12 September as part of the one-off Sail for America event to mark a year since the terror events of September 11.

Dalton is the elder brother of veteran sailor Grant Dalton, whose most recent race was as skipper of Amer Sports One in the Volvo Ocean Race 2002.