Yacht builder Oyster Marine has celebrated the completion of its inaugural Oyster World Rally, organised by the company to mark its 40th anniversary.

The Ipswich-based company, a member of the EADT/EDP Top100 listing of the 100 largest companied based in Suffolk and Norfolk, has hosted a series of competitive racing events around the globe for Oyster yacht owners, with the route including calls to South Africa and Brazil and concluding in Antigua.

A total to 26 yachts were entered for the rally, most based in the UK and also including vessels from Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa and the United States.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Oyster chief executive David Tydeman told the participants: “You have been an incredible inspiration to an enormous number of people around the world. Your fabulous achievement has been followed by hundreds of thousands on the internet and Oyster has received expressions of interest from 200 families wanting to take part in the next event.”

He added that, before the first Oyster World Rally started, 43 Oyster yachts had received the Oyster Circumnavigation Award in recognition of having circled the globe but as a result of the rally a further 23 of the company’s vessels had now qualified for the award.