new round the world record

[brian eiland]

...courtesy of Scuttlebutt...

COMMENTARY
(In Scuttlebutt 1798 we carried an excerpt from commentary by Andy Green
published on The Daily Sail subscription website. In that piece, Green
discussed Ellen MacArthur's impact on sailing as well as the media returns
of Oryx Quest 2005. In the following response, Oryx Quest 2005 Race
Organizer Tracy Edwards takes exception to some of Andy views.)

Qatar is ecstatic with the massive coverage they have received for the
event in their key target markets of Middle East, Asia, the Far East and
the USA. The UK is not a target market for Qatar. It is important for me
obviously because although I do not live there at present it is still
ultimately my home and the home of many people who would have really
enjoyed it if the British Sailing press had used the information that we
made available to them and written more about the event.

I think it is sad that they chose instead to concentrate on the fact that I
had to borrow money to get the Oryx Quest up and running and the fact that
I have stared personal ruination in the face on a number of occasions to
bring to the sailing world what we believe is a great opportunity to open
up the 'arena' and therefore the sponsorship market for big boat offshore
sailing.

Ellen has done a fantastic job and is the absolute heroine of my five year
old daughter who thinks he mother "looks a lot older" works too hard, is
permanently tired and doesn't "bounce around the netting like Ellen does"!
She spends as much time looking at Ellen's website as the Quest website and
as I think that Ellen is a great role model I have encouraged this
absolutely! (Let's keep the boy bands at bay for as long as possible!)
However, this is not a competition on who gets more press and I am sure
that Ellen would agree with me on this.

Fame and fortune is not what drives me or Ellen or in fact most ocean
racers. What we do is try and make the impossible dream happen, to achieve
something in the sport we live for. When we succeed it helps to make
sailing available to a wider audience and we hope it encourages the next
generation of sailors in all countries across the globe. This includes my
daughter who tells me that she is going to sail around the world single
handed when she is old enough. Ten yrs old she informs me!

As we near the end of the Oryx Quest 2005 I hope that the winner (who will
obviously be British) will be feted in their achievement in the UK and
people will realize that the fact that two boats didn't make it all the way
round the globe is a testament to all those "Who go down to the sea in
boats."

Tracy Edwards MBE

[brian eiland]

BE: Lets hope they give a little more time for the participants to get organized properly this time!!
________________________
THE NEXT BIG EVENT
According to the race organizers, entries have flooded in for the next
sailing event in the Quest calendar, which has now been confirmed to take place in September 2007. Billed as a staged world circumnavigation race, with stopovers in key locations, the event has already generated huge international interest. Race headquarters has been inundated with enquiries from yacht owners and crewmembers alike, suggesting that the race is likely to be open to mono as well as multi hull yachts to cater for the levels of interest.

The other skippers in the current Oryx Quest 2005 will certainly be meeting again in 2007. Olivier de Kersauson, skipper of Geronimo (which was forced to retire from Oryx Quest 2005 in the early stages) is particularly eager to compete again. Steve Fossett, whose yacht Cheyenne was also forced to withdraw from Oryx Quest 2005 following her tragic dismasting just east of Argentina, also feels his boat has some unfinished business. "Cheyenne is on the market now and we hope that she will be bought by a team committed to the Quest Series." Daedalus, also expects to be involved in 2007 with a new owner. Tony Bullimore has begun discussions with interested parties in the Middle East regarding its purchase.

Tracy Edwards has begun putting together Team Qatar, which will represent the Gulf State in the race and be headed by HE Sheikh Hassan Bin Jabor Al Thani, Chairman of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), who partnered the Quest team in facilitating Oryx Quest 2005. Team Qatar is currently in discussion with French naval architect, Gilles Ollier, who met with His Excellency in February to discuss plans for a new boat. The obvious favorite to skipper Team Qatar and lead the Qatari crew to victory is Brian Thompson.
<www.qisel.com>

BE: Oh! and have you heard about Disney's (yes, as in mouse) sponsoring one of the new Volvo racers as a promo for their next "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. Pretty exciting actually.

[JimCooper]

Originally Posted by dionysis

"Wholesome and seaworthy" designs will not get you around the world in 80 days. They may get you around 80 times though.

Agree absolutely Dionysis I also like the points raised about the solo sailors actually being the driver for a team.


I just sailed the Caribbean and looked at the hurricane wrecks littering the shores on some of the islands, boats such as modern Benetaus broken in half and utterly shattered from groundings while heavier built vessels survived the same groundings and were pulled off without damage.

These record breakers are light by necessity of speed and unseaworthy by the same requirement.

IMHO (in my huble opinion)
Jim

[Vega]

Yes, BIG little woman, no doubt about that.

Talking about records, what do you think of this one?

http://www.solarnavigator.net/histor..._catamaran.htm

Seven days is also a BIG difference.

"Bruno Peyron is today the record holder of the greatest number of miles covered in a maxi-catamaran (295,000 miles). He has beaten the 24 hour record on four occasions (1982 / 1995 / 2000/ 2004).
He is the only skipper to have covered more than 700 miles in 24 h, and since last summer, has been the holder of the Mediterranean crossing record."

[lazeyjack]

nope, do not agree on all you said, its a great deal harder climbing a 100 foot stick than a 40 foot one
Also life in a beast such as hers is like driving a formula one car on a greasy track, and you need all the help you can get as things happen fast
Driving(helming)an old crapper 6 knot boat is like watching grass grow, I like somewhere inbetwixt
My heroine will always be Isabelle,

[lazeyjack]

sorry all that was in reply to an old post, questioning EM achievement

[Stuart Dodd]

I think you also need to take account of the whole story. Its all very fine saying she sailed around the world with loads of support and that made it easier (I strongly disagree.. she was making the calls and taking the risks in a boat pressed to the limits), the rest of the story of how she made it to the start of the Vendee, determination, living in a freight container, hundreds of rejections before convincing a company to sponsor her - that's the whole story.