MORE than GBP800,000 in public money will be spent on funding Glasgow's entry in a major yacht race for the next three years.
The investment by the city council and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau was criticised last night as a waste of taxpayers' cash.
However, officials claimed continued participation in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race would generate millions in publicity for the city.
A total of GBP805,000 will be spent on running costs for the vessel named Glasgow: Scotland with Style.
But John Mason, the local authority's SNP leader, raised doubts about the GBP300,000 of council funding. The marketing bureau will provide the remainder.
He said: "I have some real reservations about the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. It seems very hard to measure the real benefits that participation supposedly brings.
"It's often said by the council that taking part raises the city's profile.
"I would think the administration may struggle to tell me the business or a group of visitors that have come to the city after seeing the ship.
"I also wonder about the image the ship sends out of the city as it seems to come last all the time. In the grand scheme of things, GBP100,000 per year may not be huge money but I am not enthusiastic."
According to a councilapproved report, the race has garnered huge public exposure over more than 18 months.
Officials also said the worldwide interest and publicity generated by the event created benefits in terms of media coverage and economic spin-offs, including inward investment and increased tourism.
The 33,000-mile race generated more than GBP14m in media exposure in the UK in 2002 and is expected to trigger around GBP56m in coverage for the 2005-6 event, according to the report's authors.
B&Q and its parent company Kingfisher reportedly paid around GBP10m to sponsor Ellen McArthur's around-the-world sailing campaigns.
This proved to be a lucrative arrangement for the company, as independent assessments suggest the sponsorship has generated media exposure for the company worth up to GBP150m.
Glasgow's clipper recently crossed the finish line in China ahead of the current race leaders but the 68ft yacht has suffered its fair share of problems.
The first skipper, Graeme Johnston, 35, resigned for "personal reasons" after his team - a crew of 17 amateur yachtsmen and women - dropped to last place at the event's halfway point in Australia in December.
The council and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce are confident the city's participation in the race has been a success.
Style victim?
The Glasgow: Scotland with Style clipper is on the 5600mile section of the race across the Pacific from Qingdao, China, to Victoria, Canada.
Glasgow is in eighth place, 88 miles behind New York, with 3500 miles to go on this leg.
The crew's online diary reveals an incident where sails had to be cut free after getting lodged around the front part of the clipper.
The crew took to learning the phonetic alphabet to while away the hours at sea.
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