Edwards scoops £38m sponsorship
by Gael Pawson 15 Oct 2003 15:11 BST
In one of the biggest sponsorships in sailing's history, British yachtswoman Tracy Edwards has announced a £38 million deal.
In her search of sponsorship for her 110ft catamaran 'Maiden 2' - now to be renamed 'Qatar 2006' - Tracy has struck gold, with a deal which will not only fit out her existing cat, but provide the funds to build a new mega-multihull, and the establishment of two new events, the first to offer
a prize purse of $1 million.
After a long search for funds for the 'Maiden 2' project, for the second time in her career, Tracy has found success in the Middle East the funding for the original 'Maiden' in the Whitbread Round the World Race came from Jordan, and this time the money comes from the Gulf State of Qatar.
The two new events will be aimed at the giant multihulls such as 'Kingfisher' and 'Playstation', and make the decision to postpone The Race indefinitely immediately clear. The first event is a round the world race, the 2005 Oryx Cup, due to start and finish in the UK. However, the course
will take the entrants past Ushant in order for them to attempt a Jules Verne circumnavigation record at the same time for which there is a substantial bonus prize on offer. The second event is the Qatar Sports Global Challenge, a five-stage race due to start from Doha in 2006 with
stopovers planned in the US and the Far East. This second event will also cater for monohulls over 100ft.