Oryx Quest
Encyclopedia
Oryx Quest was the name of the first round-the-world yacht race to start and finish in the Middle East and was held in 2005 in Qatar.
The race, organised by British sailor Tracy Edwards
, was regarded as a follow-up to The Race
of 2000 and was designed to complement existing Multihull races. It was hoped that the size of the prize and the potential speed of the participating boats would make it the most-exciting round-the-world race to date. The record prize money was donated by the government of Qatar
, which hoped to gain publicity as a tourism
destination.
On 5 February four multihull
ed yachts began the route, off Doha
.
The participants were:
Geronimo
was the first elimination on 2 March, as a result of hull damage following a collision with flotsam. de Kersauson returned to Australia
to have the boat repaired, and to break the record for the circumnavigation of the continent
in July. A week later the mast of Cheyenne broke just after the boat had rounded Cape Horn
. With two remaining boats, Doha 2006 won the race, finishing with an overall time of 62 days, 21 hours and 1 minute. The more-than-20-year-old Daedalus crossed the finishing line some 13 days later.
Media coverage in the Middle East, Far East and Asia (Qatar's key target markets) was valued at $46million dollars and the weekly race programmes made by APP were seen in 600 million homes, making it the most widely watched race in yachting history. The website including the children's 'Ali the Albatross' education pages received over 20million hits. Tracy and her team also put together Qatar's first Sports Education Programme to which over 10,000 Qatari school children signed up.
HSBC paid £3million towards the event and Edwards personally borrowed £8million to pay suppliers, her team and each of the competitors was paid between $1million and $2million each to enter (the first time a yacht race has managed to do this). However, Qatar Sports International reneged on the £6million sponsorship deal and $1million prize money and Edwards was consequently forced into bankruptcy and lost her home. She was discharged in September 2005. Edwards' legal team in Qatar won the first stage of her legal action in Qatar on 31 January 2006. Legal action to recover monies owed to Quest, its suppliers and Edwards herself is still ongoing.
The race, organised by British sailor Tracy Edwards
Tracy Edwards
Tracy Edwards MBE is a British sailor. In 1989 she skippered the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, becoming the first woman to receive the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy and was awarded the Order of the British Empire.-Bibliography:Maiden. Simon & Schuster, 13...
, was regarded as a follow-up to The Race
The Race (yachting race)
The Race was a round-the-world sailing race starting in Barcelona, Spain on December 31, 2000. It was the first ever non-stop, no-rules, no-limits, round-the-world sailing event, with a $2 million US prize...
of 2000 and was designed to complement existing Multihull races. It was hoped that the size of the prize and the potential speed of the participating boats would make it the most-exciting round-the-world race to date. The record prize money was donated by the government of Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, which hoped to gain publicity as a tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
destination.
On 5 February four multihull
Multihull
A multihull is a ship, vessel, craft or boat with more than one hull.-Description:Multihulls include: Proas, which have two differently shaped or sized hulls with lateral symmetry; catamarans, which have two hulls with longitudinal symmetry; and trimarans, which have a main hull in the center and...
ed yachts began the route, off Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
.
The participants were:
- Doha 2006Doha 2006 (yacht)Doha 2006 is a maxi-catamaran, that participated in many offshore races.It had several names :* Club Med, skippered by Grant Dalton, for The Race,* Maiden 2, skippered by Tracy Edwards and Brian Thompson,...
, catamaranCatamaranA catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
, formerly Club Med (winner of The RaceThe Race (yachting race)The Race was a round-the-world sailing race starting in Barcelona, Spain on December 31, 2000. It was the first ever non-stop, no-rules, no-limits, round-the-world sailing event, with a $2 million US prize...
), skippered by Brian ThompsonBrian ThompsonBrian Thompson is an American actor.Brian Thompson may also refer to:*Brian Thompson , reporter and anchorman for WNBC-TV*Brian Thomson , senior correspondent for SBS World News *Brian B. Thompson, British writer... - DaedalusDaedalus (yacht)Daedalus is a maxi-catamaran, that participated to many great offshore races.It has served under three different names :* Formule Tag, skippered by Mike Birch* Enza New Zealand, skippered by Peter Blake and Robin Knox-Johnston...
, catamaran, formerly Enza (winner of the 1995 Jules Verne TrophyJules Verne TrophyThe Jules Verne Trophy is a prize for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht with no restrictions on the size of the crew provided the vessel has registered with the organization and paid an entry fee. A vessel holding the Jules Verne trophy will not necessarily hold the...
), skippered by Tony BullimoreTony BullimoreTony Bullimore is a British sailor from Bristol.He is most famous for being rescued during the 1996 Vendee Globe single handed around the world race. The race was marked by a number of incidents including the death of another contestant, Gerry Roufs... - GeronimoGeronimo (yacht)Geronimo is a french trimaran designed to break great offshore records. It was skipped by the French yachtsman Olivier de Kersauson.It was launched on saturday the 29th september 2001 in Brest, France by Marie Tabarly.- Dimensions :* Launched : 2001...
, trimaranTrimaranA trimaran is a multihulled boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls , attached to the main hull with lateral struts...
, (winner of the 2004 Jules Verne Trophy), skippered by Olivier de Kersauson - CheyennePlaystation (yacht)PlayStation is one of several large catamarans created for the 2000 around the world race known as The Race. Like its competitors, PlayStation was created for sheer speed, pushing the state of the art in materials, construction, and operation...
, catamaran, formerly Playstation, (holder of the world record for circumnavigations at the time of the start of Qryx Quest), skippered by David ScullyDavid ScullyDavid Scully is a comedian and voice actor. This“vocal chameleon“ primarily known for his voice acting career in video games,and is most famous for creating three distinctly different and popular characters:...
Geronimo
Geronimo (yacht)
Geronimo is a french trimaran designed to break great offshore records. It was skipped by the French yachtsman Olivier de Kersauson.It was launched on saturday the 29th september 2001 in Brest, France by Marie Tabarly.- Dimensions :* Launched : 2001...
was the first elimination on 2 March, as a result of hull damage following a collision with flotsam. de Kersauson returned to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to have the boat repaired, and to break the record for the circumnavigation of the continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
in July. A week later the mast of Cheyenne broke just after the boat had rounded Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
. With two remaining boats, Doha 2006 won the race, finishing with an overall time of 62 days, 21 hours and 1 minute. The more-than-20-year-old Daedalus crossed the finishing line some 13 days later.
Media coverage in the Middle East, Far East and Asia (Qatar's key target markets) was valued at $46million dollars and the weekly race programmes made by APP were seen in 600 million homes, making it the most widely watched race in yachting history. The website including the children's 'Ali the Albatross' education pages received over 20million hits. Tracy and her team also put together Qatar's first Sports Education Programme to which over 10,000 Qatari school children signed up.
HSBC paid £3million towards the event and Edwards personally borrowed £8million to pay suppliers, her team and each of the competitors was paid between $1million and $2million each to enter (the first time a yacht race has managed to do this). However, Qatar Sports International reneged on the £6million sponsorship deal and $1million prize money and Edwards was consequently forced into bankruptcy and lost her home. She was discharged in September 2005. Edwards' legal team in Qatar won the first stage of her legal action in Qatar on 31 January 2006. Legal action to recover monies owed to Quest, its suppliers and Edwards herself is still ongoing.