So, if you would like more information please do get in touch with me through my contacts page or go to my speaking website.

Will Qatar be stripped of the World Cup (hopefully) and America be awarded the 2022?

Hopefully this spotlight on the affairs of this corrupt and ruthless nation will help the many thousands of ‘slaves’ being held there in unimaginable conditions (yes it is them who will be building the stadiums) and the many of us who are owed money.

It is laughable that the World Cup is being held in Qatar in 2012.  You cannot drink in public, hold hands in public, kiss in public and women can’t wear short sleeved T-shirts or shorts – so NOT great for anyone who wants to celebrate their team winning or in fact anyone who wants to keep cool in the 110 degree heat outside the ‘air conditioned’ stadiums.  So much also for the carbon footptint of the World Cup!!  Oh and by the way, don’t even think of booking a hotel room with someone of the opposite sex unless you are married.  Actually come to think of it don’t book one with a mate either as homosexuality is against the law.  Also you may like to think twice about hiring a car – unless you really like to live life on the edge!  Admittedly there is no-where worth driving to so that’s not too much of a handicap.

Whilst I think about it don’t mention the BOMB that went off in an Ex-Pat Theatre there in 2004 and killed a British teacher.  They like to call that the ‘incident‘.  Also do NOT refer to Qatar’s Human Rights record or say that you have been checking them up on the Amnesty website.  That does not tend to go down too well either!!

So, is there a worse place on earth to host a football World Cup???  I really cannot think of one.  But HEY money and oil talk and that is all that matters apparently.

Daily Mail speaks out against corruption of the beautiful game.

Get a flight to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi or in fact anywhere else except Qatar!

If you still feel compelled to make your life significantly more complicated and experience the wonderful and as yet unexplored world of ulcers and drinking Gavescon direct from the bottle, then by all means head to Doha. However, do your research before you go.

Know who you are dealing with. Although the Emir has supposedly rid Qatar of the antiquated ‘sponsorship’ way of doing business there, it is almost impossible not to have a sponsor. You still need a sponsor to get a residency permit, send your children to school there, buy alcohol ( and believe me if you don’t drink before you go, just give it a few months), have a business bank account and in fact conduct business of any kind.

Having the right sponsor in Qatar is like having the right air to breathe. It is essential to your success. Understand the relationship between your sponsor and the rest of the Royal Family. We dealt with some wonderful Sheikhs there who just did not have the power to help us, even though they wanted to. Remember that it is relatively easy to get meetings with most Sheikhs, however, it is not them you will be dealing with. After saying yes or even signing a contract, they will then pass you to their ‘middle management’ which in my humble opinion is the real sticking point for Qatar doing business in a global market place. These people are real ‘jobsworths’ in every sense of the word. When they graduate (which of course they all do) they are given an acre of land, 800,000 Qatari Riyals and a job for life with a government department. You can see where I am going with this can’t you! A very few are brilliant to deal with and work hard. Most could not care one way or another whether you succeed or fail or in fact whether the department they work for succeeds or fails. They are lethargic but lethal!

Find the right solicitor for your needs. Remember that every foreign firm of solicitors has to work through a Qatari solicitor and is very much beholden to them. If you find yourself up against a powerful Qatari Sheikh in a legal battle, your solicitors will invariably find themselves being squeezed from both ends. Small Qatari legal firms are, although an unknown quantity to you, often more able to act in an unbiased manner. However there are two that you should avoid at all costs. Sultan Al Abdullah of Qatar Law represents QSI, QNOC and until recently DAGOC. He managed to lose a signed loan agreement for $3million and made me sign another one. God knows into whose pocket the second $3million went. Khalid Al Attiya of KBM Law represents various sports federations and is the spectacularly wrong choice to run the Human Rights Commission. He also represents the Foreign Minister. He denies ever representing Quest and says he has no record of our contracts. The Official Receiver was fairly bemused therefore to receive a £50,000 invoice from KBM Law for services to Quest.  I would recommend Fawziha Al Obaidly (If you would like her details then please contact me.)  She is also, unbelievably, the last person on the list given out by the British Embassy. Avoid Eversheds (they ‘forgot’ to tell me about $30,000 they had relieved me of for ‘legal fees‘) and Patton Boggs (loyal only to The Emir whom they helped put into power and the Foreign Minister of whom they are terrified) like the plague. Also, their sponsoring Sheikhs are so powerful that if you unwittingly end up in litigation with one of their companies you will either be unceremoniously dumped your case may be compromised.

Understand whether you are being expected to pay ‘baksheesh’. This is basically a bribe to your sponsor to ‘assist’ you in your business dealings. We were told categorically NOT to pay any bribes as the Emir is trying to stamp this out as well. However, when I had lunch in London not so long ago with a prominent Qatari businessman he told me that the reason we had probably not been paid, was that we did not ‘pay the right people’. So, the new system is obviously not functioning very well then!

Understand that although most businessmen in the Middle East are intelligent enough to have got past the ‘not wanting to say no in case they offend someone’ tradition, Qatar has not.

The first time a payment to you is reneged upon, and it will be, do NOT put up with it. Do not be persuaded by the arguments of ‘you westerners just don’t understand how we work’ and ‘don’t worry you will be paid’ and ‘if you object we will find someone else because the world is queuing up to business with us’. Be firm. Right away! That is how the Americans and the French do business in Qatar and they get paid – believe me. The British way of being polite and nice DOES NOT WORK! Show them you mean business or leave before it is too late.

Do not rely on the British Embassy in Qatar. The days of Ambassadors who can help, are willing to help or have the backbone to help, are gone. They left with David McLennan, the last of the old school, who left at the beginning of 2005. It should say above the door to the British Embassy “Abandon hope all ye who enter here” – the ambassador and the staff certainly do. They are much too busy being paid, by us the British taxpayer, to enjoy themselves, than to actually stick their necks out.”

Qatar may look like the land of business ventures and a land of the future but until they get some very fundamental business and legal issues sorted out, it is a land of nightmares.

I do hope that the Emir starts to get a handle on all the above issues because, believe it or not, despite everything, I loved living in Qatar. What’s not to love about living in a perpetual Monty Python sketch!

There are so many more wonderful Qataris that I consider to be friends than ones that are enemies, but that does not change what can happen if you are not prepared.   At this moment in time, it is still better to do business with any other Middle Eastern country rather than Qatar.

Remember – No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition – or indeed, the Qatari inability to pay their bills, or, come to think of it, the way they embrace with unabashed childish enthusiasm the sport of making foreigners pay the price for having the audacity to do business in their country.

to all of you who have taken the time and trouble to contact me through this site. The amount of communication and your support has been overwhelming!  I will, over the next few days, answer each e-mail separately but until then I just wanted to respond as quickly as possible by using this site.

Whilst we were in Qatar, over the past two years as I have struggled to get back on my feet and during the construction of this site I have heard of so many other people who have not been paid by various Qatari Federations and Companies. It is not a huge surprise but that does not make it any less harrowing to hear these stories first hand and if you would like your story to be published on this site please do let me know.

The following comments have appeared repeatedly in your e-mails;

“What are you hoping to achieve from this site? Is it worth annoying them?”

“Please watch your back.”

“Don’t antagonise the Qatari Royal Family. They can be very nasty.”

In answer to these questions and comments;

When I was made bankrupt and my company went under, it was due, in part, to not being paid by QSI but also, less obviously, to the illegal actions of the Foreign Minister. I will get to that at a later date. My immediate concern at the time was of course to protect my daughter and my family but it was also the potential remuneration of my team and the suppliers of the event.  I decided not to answer the people choosing to use the public arena to present their various misguided and self serving theories on what had gone wrong. Why? Because any potential legal action may have been compromised by a public slanging match. Having won the first stage of this legal action on January 31st 2006, I believe it was the right decision for the ongoing battle to get everyone paid their final invoice and the prize money.

However, as a consequence of my silence, my reputation suffered a severe battering during that time.

Then, during my year of bankruptcy all I could think about was survival, getting back on my feet and taking care of my daughter. As she started a new school on the day the press announced my bankruptcy I couldn’t protect her completely but I hope I have managed to cushion her from most of the nightmare. I was discharged from my bankruptcy on September 5^th 2006 and a year later I am well and truly standing up straight!

The work that is coming in is varied and truly compelling, speaking to companies not only about team dynamics, leadership and motivating teams but also how NOT to do business in the Middle East and risk taking. I have consulted for companies thinking about opening offices in Qatar and companies already established there. Of the companies who were thinking of Qatar, one is now in Abu Dhabi and two have chosen Dubai. Both countries know how to do business in the global market place and pay their bills!

As my chances of survival have increased over the past 24 months so have my thoughts of how to redress the injustices that Qatar have handed out to us and how to restore my good name which I spent 20 years of my life working very hard for in the sport that I love. My sense of outrage over what happened has changed from abject terror to despair to anger to humiliation to self doubt to frustration to calm to introspection to determination.

So, what else do I want to achieve by setting the record straight?

I want people to know what happened to us.  will I want Qatar to pay its debt to us. I want to prevent anyone from having to go through what we went through. To that end, I have tried to keep the stress and emotional turmoil out of the everyday facts and the circumstances in which we found ourselves. They only cloud the issue and are actually still very difficult to deal with.  However, I write here, and on subsequent pages, the very personal side of the situation.

Am I afraid of incurring the wrath of the Qatari Royal Family?

No, I am not afraid anymore. I have been scared for too long dealing with these people. Life in this case imitates sport. I remember racing through the Southern Ocean and being that afraid. Days and days on end of enduring the wrath of the wind and the waves, of being terrified that today was the day we would die. After a while your brain goes into protection mode and you become immune to the danger. You close down, go inside your self, put your head down and you just get on with it. A numbness takes over. And so it has been during this nightmare.   But, I can’t be scared any more.  I don’t have the energy.  I have looked into the abyss and it has looked back. Nothing they can do to me now could ever be as bad as what we have all been through.

I have been told, by someone who knows what they are talking about, to watch my back.

I don’t think they would be that vindictive to what they probably see as an annoying little flea.  Also, if anything happened to me it would be obvious where to look. When I was threatened whilst actually in Qatar I employed the services of a bodyguard who taught me how to take care of myself and my daughter. Things to watch for, how to check under my car, how to know if I am being followed, how to take evasive action. I know that as you are reading this you are thinking, ’blimey that’s a bit over the top……this woman is sooooo paranoid and just a tad melodramtic!’  If I had not felt the fear that I have felt by being held in Qatar, being followed and the various threats, then I would be thinking the same thing believe me!!

There is another potential goal of this website.

I have always had the utmost respect for the HH The Emir and for his wife HH Sheikh Mozha.  I do not believe they know the full story. I have had two personal messages of support from the Emir that indicate this to be so.  I think that if he knew the full extent of the misery that his son Sheikh Tamim (unwittingly) and his cousin the Foreign Minister (knowingly) had caused us he would make sure that Qatar’s debts to us would be paid.  I will put my faith in him and I believe that if I can make him aware of what has happened, that he will stand tall and make sure that justice prevails.

Everything he has said he wants Qatar to be in the future, tells me that he would not stand for this injustice if he knew the details.

Qatar Brief: July 2004 – August 2004-

Maiden Events Ltd renamed Quest International Sports Events Ltd – Quest signed a £3m sponsorship deal with HSBC – Because of the lack of positive coverage in the yachting press due to the delay with the deal, the 6 original entries found it difficult to raise sponsorship for boats

•  I  put together a ‘Fleet Sponsorship’ proposal and presented it to the Crown Prince who agreed to guarantee a loan in lieu of the original £6million contract

•  I secured a loan of $11.5million from Standard Chartered putting up my house and all assets as collateral to cover the remainder

•  I then leant $3.5million of this money to Quest to pay suppliers, build the marina, run the website and pay wages

•  Some of the loan was raised by me to pay off all Maiden II debts including Andrew Pindar’s loan with interest, Ansbacher, ALL the crew and shore crew and the refit for the Oryx Quest in Qatar.  That has remained my personal debt – Not Quest’s.

•  We did not, funnily enough, pay people that were trying to screw money out of us because they thought we had millions in the bank – It was those people who were to end up making the most noise at the end – not the wonderful people, team and suppliers who actually made the event happen and who have been so supportive over the past year.

September 2004

•  The skippers were all paid $1million each to enter the event.  Steve Fossett was paid $2million as one of the other entries pulled out and John Harwood-Bee threw his toys out of the cot because he didn’t get the money to buy Cheyenne.  He then tried to sue me because I didn’t give him $2million to buy a boat. Hmmmm!

December 2004

At this point we still hadn’t been paid by QSI so I had to advise them that unless they paid Quest, the event would have to be postponed-          HE Sheikh Hassan met with HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and asked that QSI paid the 3million.-          HH then suggested a $3million LOAN to me not the £3million to Quest as agreed

•  I was up to my neck in it by that point but figured if I could just get the event up and running then they would pay us back and a loan agreement was signed with QNOC

•  QMSF distributed the funds to suppliers named by Quest.  It was one of the most painful processes our poor accountant had ever been through – This is another story for another time in more detail. Suffice to say here that when we finally managed to wrestle the accounts out of them, they had used some of our money for ‘entertainment’ without our permission - SICKENING BEHAVIOUR

January 2005

•  The Director General of the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee then decided that DAGOC would sponsor Maiden II as the Qatari entry and promptly took $750,000 out of the $3m loan without my permission – Unbelievable even for them!!!

•   There is a lot more to this part of the story but I will keep that to myself for the moment!

February 2005

HE Sheikh Jassim, Vice-President of QNOC started the event on February 4th in front of the world’s media

•  QSI was then actually quietly dissolved during the event with the £3million still owed to Quest – No-one told us at the time of course!

April 2005

•  The event reached a successful conclusion ($46million of PR in Qatar’s key target markets)

•  After the ‘after race parties’ the crews went home before the Prize Giving to be held in Doha in June

We then found out that the QSI that owed Quest £3million had been dissolved and new set up  with new shareholders.

•  I was then told that the £3million would be paid towards next event only - it could not be used to pay suppliers of The Oryx Quest 2005 or the Prize Money - Oh and I could not use the funds to pay myself back.

•  I had to refuse

May 2005

On 31^st May our company solicitor is told that QSI have changed their minds AGAIN and have agreed to pay the £3million (with proviso of control over the payments and that they must be relevant to the event)-          I then agreed to the restructured agreement and our solicitor’s office drew up agreement  June 2005

•  5^th June – Prize giving went ahead.

•  Strangely HE Sheikh Hassan did not turn up to present the prize money envelopes

•  There was a letter confirming payment by QSI in the envelopes presented by HE Sheikh Jassim bin Thamer Al Thani – Was he a fall guy?

•  8th June – THE BOMBSHELL – No payment will be made by QSI to Quest for anything

•  17^th June I flew home to meet with Kroll Worldwide re potential administration of the company to protect creditors whilst our solicitors dealt with QSI.  Kroll agreed that we had a strong enough position to put the company into administration which we then did during July.

July 2005

•   I returned to Doha on 13^th July to meet with HE Sheikh Jassim re payment

•  On the 18th July the Foreign Minister refused to give me an exit visa to go home to sort our banks etc

I will write at a later date with the full details of being held in Qatar illegally for 28 days as it really deserves a closer look as it wqas the final nail in the coffin that tipped me over the edge and pretty much ensured my bankruptcy and Quest’s administration.

Obviously there is lot more to write about the Foreign Minister.

Sept 2005

•   I was made bankrupt on my 43rd birthday, lost my house, all my assets seized including my life insurance policy that protected my daughter.  My mother had to go into a home.  The worst year of my life began.

31^st January 2006

•      I won my court case in Qatar which proved I was held illegally and can therefore pursue Personal Injury

•  Found out that the marina has been stolen (oh yes!) and the race village tents had ‘disppeared’.

Sept 2006

•  I was discharged from bankruptcy on my 44th birthday!

October 2006

•  HH Sheikh Tamim has paid back some of the Fleet Sponsorship to the bank but has not paid me back for my part of the loan

•  Maiden II, worth an estimated $2million, has since been sold for $40,000

•  QSI has not paid one single penny towards the event even though they agree that it was hugely successful

Firstly a huge thank you to all of you who have written to me through this Blog and I really hope that my advice has been of some use.

Secondly, apologies for not being online for a while.  There have been various amazing and dedicated people working behind the scenes in a valiant attempt to facilitate negotiations with Qatar and ultimate payment.  However, it is becoming increasingly clear that this is unlikely to happen.  So, there is nothing now preventing me from finishing this blog. I will endeavour to do this over the next couple of weeks.

On another note, some of you have been e-mailing me with the news that yet another innocent person was being held illegally in Qatar.  Those of you who know some of the nightmare we went thorugh will also know that I was held in Doha illegally by the Foreign Minister, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani for 28 days in 2005.  I could not get home to my daughter and could not formalise my financial affairs.  This action was the final nail in the coffin.

Ian Heywood, a BA Executive is the latest person to fall foul of the whims of the Qatari elite.  No charges have been brought against him, no-one was notified of his detention for 8 days……………It is all sounding horribly familiar.  Maybe if the British Government or British Embassy in Qatar had taken some sort of stand when I was detained there, this would have sent a messgae to Qatar.  But they did nothing.  I am guessing that the Foreign Minister now thinks that he can treat British Citizens however he chooses.  Money talks.

Our Race Manager Kels moved to Doha and helped set up the office along with Kate and Gregor who ran the Education Programme.  Mugsy who wrote the copy for the website flew in and out of Doha.  Salima joined as receptionist and secretary to the team.

Our families joined us in in the summer of 2004 and Mike and I have to get our residents permits so that our children can register for school in Doha.  It is a huge move for my daughter and I but an even bigger moe for Mike, his wife and their three children.  It was  ahuge leap of faith for all of us but we felt that to run the event properly, we had to be there.

The drive from the office to the house

The building site that we lived on!

My daughter keeps Steve, our bodyguard busy!

and in September 2004 we announced our sponsor at the Diplomatic Club in Doha, Qatar.  The second agreement we had signed with QSI meant that HSBC would put their £3million into the project first followed by the Qatar payment

Kevin Smorthwaite the MD of HSBC in Qatar announced the sponsorship deal

and HH Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Thani unveiled the beautiful Oryx Quest 05 Trophy which had just been made by William Asprey.  HE Sheikh Jassim bin Thamer Al Thani who had signed the second sponsorhsip agreement was also present

alongside myself, Kevin Smorthwaite and the British Ambassador at the time, David McLennan

The skippers who had turned up to support the event were the enigmatic Luic Peyron, the Titan of the oceans Oliver de Kerusason, the energetic Cam Lewis and Tony Bullimore

In the background to this event, HSBC had already paid 50% of their sponsorship money.  Were building our website, APP had started filiming for the programmes, the education project was up and running and the marina was being sourced.

We had also started speaking with QSI about timing for their payment when the final HSBC installment was made in December 04.  Little did we know at that time that they probably had little intention of paying us.

At the beginning of May we invited all the skippers who were interested in competing in the Oryx Quest 2005 to attend a conference in Qatar.

We wanted the skippers to be as involved as possible in the decisions that would affect their ability to raise sponsorship and compete in the event.  I remembered at the end of the 1989/90 Whitbread there had been a similar conference to consult potential skippers of the next event, on the new design of boat.  We also invited all key suppliers and consultants to assist in the process of getting boats to the start line.  I know from experience that this is the hardest part of putting an event of this size together.

The logistics of organising a conference in Qatar is mind boggling.  First there is the normal everyday stuff that you have to do such as fly everyone to Qatar from their country of origin, organise their visas, hotel rooms, security, cars, travel, timetable, entertainment, food, the conference itself and of course I was paying for it all out of my own pocket!  Then there is the hair tearing, heartburn inducing, eye watering amount of bureaucracy and needlessly complicated paperwork involved in making even the smiplest of things happen.  The politics of which Federations must be involved and what they must be invited to.  Which Sheikhs must be invited and in which order.   Permission to take photos,  permission to film.  Briefing the delegates on what is acceptabel behaviour and what is not.

The Oryx Cup 2005 Teams Conference Doha, Qatar 5^th to 8^th May 2004 Wednesday 5^th May

Delegates arrive in Doha and are met at the airport and transported to the Marriott Hotel.

Register at hotel and relax!  Delegates will be advised of the person who will be assisting them during their stay and their contact details and the Quest team will be on hand in the hotel.

Thursday 6th May

Breakfast                                                                               07.30 – 08.30

Conference room (Salon one) for coffee                                        08.30

HE Sheikh Saoud bin Ali Al Thani

Meet and greet teams – Photos                                          09.00 – 09.15

Run through proposed agenda

Tracy Edwards – From Vision to Reality                          09.15 – 09.45

Alan Green – Race Director                                               09.45 – 10.00

Hugh Leventon – Sponsorship                                            10.00 – 10.15

John Caswell - The way Forward                                       10.15 – 10.30

Coffee                                                                                     10.30 – 11.00

Prelim Notice of Race – AG                                               11.00 – 12.00

Q&A                                                                                       12.00 – 13.00

HSBC VIP lunch 13.00 – 14.30

Press Conference for ME press and

Al Jazeera Sports Channel                                                 14.30 – 16.00

Coffee                                                                                    16.00 – 16.30

Sponsorship – Hugh Leventon                                          16.30

Media – Richard Simmonds

Q&A                                                                                      18.00

Cocktails – Terrace, Marriott                                          19.00

Dinner  - Asia Life, Marriott                                            20.00

Friday 7^th May

Breakfast                                                                               07.00 – 08.30

Conference room – coffee                                                  08.30 – 09.00

Intro TE                                                                                 09.00 – 09.10

Hugh Leventon                                                                     09.10 – 09.30

Doo Gurney                                                                          09.30 – 09.50

Richard Simmonds                                                              09.50 – 10.10

Q&A                                                                                       10.10 – 10.30

Coffee                                                                                    10.30 – 11.00

The key stakeholders, interested parties,

organizations, markets, nations
The big issues that we need to understand in the market.
The audiences we need to consider.                                11.00 – 12.00

Lunch                                                                                    12.00 – 13.00

Breakout sessions – Executive Office

Group Partners to ascertain where each team is regarding funding and what is needed to get them to the start line.

During this time the team will be on hand in Salon to discuss the previous day’s agenda and The Quest 2006.

Geronimo                                                                             13.00 – 14.00

Rick Parrish Safety demo                                                  14.00 – 14.30

Team Adventure                                                                  14.00 – 15.00

Cheyenne                                                                             15.00 – 16.00

Ross Field                                                                            16.00 – 17.00

Cocktails – Terrace                                                             19.00

Dinner            – Salsa, Marriott                                        20.00

Saturday 8^th May       Breakout sessions – Executive Office

Group Partners to ascertain where each team is regarding funding and what is needed to get them to the start line.

Team Daedalus                                                                    09.00 – 10.00

Dessert Safari – Qatar Tourism Authority                    10.30 – 18.00

Includes BBQ at the Inland Sea

Bus from Marriott to Intercontinental

Food and drink at the Paloma Mexican Bar                   20.00

Taxi’s for those flying out                                                  times tbc

Bus from Intercon to Marriott                                         00.00

Federations attending the lunch on the 6^th May

Qatar National Olympics Committee

Doha Asian Games Organising Committee

Qatar Sports International

Qatar Sailing & Rowing Federation

Press Release

First Oryx Cup Teams Conference

The Marriott Hotel, Doha, Qatar

5th to 8th May 2004

The skippers and representatives of the six entries in the Oryx Cup flew out of Qatar on the 8th May, happy in the knowledge that The Oryx Cup is now full steam ahead.

Tony Bullimore, Team Daedalus reflected on the conference saying “We had no idea what to expect when we arrived here in Qatar but the past two days have been fantastic. We have been given all the information we need about The Oryx Cup and the quality of the conference has been absolutely superb. We now have the confidence to go back to the UK and find the sponsorship we need to get to the start line next year.”

The teams arrived in Doha on 5th May courtesy of the national carrier Qatar Airways and spent the day relaxing at the Marriott Hotel before sampling a little local hospitality in the evening. The conference was attended by all the teams, the Quest team and the Qatar 2006 crew. Tracy Edwards MBE opened the conference explaining how the vision of The Oryx Cup had finally become a reality over the past six months.

“Since the announcement in the UK on the 14th October last year Quest has been working extremely hard behind the scenes in Qatar to lay the groundwork and the structure for this exciting event. We have worked closely with Qatar Sports International and many other bodies in Qatar to get us to where we are today. There has been much to do to ensure that The Oryx Cup is the best sailing event in the world but my team have worked tirelessly towards that vision. Today, seeing all these teams here is, for all of us, a reward for that hard work and determination.”

Alan Green, Race Director went though the preliminary Notice of Race with the competitors explaining that this was the framework for the rules and that contributions from the teams would be welcome. “This is your event” he concluded “and we want to get it right for all of us. We have come together to ensure that we have great events for these great boats and if we work together as team, we will be taking the next step towards that goal”.

The VIP lunch sponsored by HSBC and hosted by General Manager Kevin Smorthwaite, was attended by The Qatar Marine Federation, Qatar Sports International, Qatar Tourism Authority and other Qatari dignitaries.

Mike Noel-Smith, Quest Operations Director, “We wish to thank HSBC for all their support and assistance behind the scenes over the past six months and for sponsoring this splendid lunch today. Thank you to QSI, Qatar Marine Federation and QTA for their enthusiasm and their hard work. We could not have done this without you”

The press conference for the Middle East press after lunch was well attended followed by a photo session with Rick Tomlinson who has been commissioned to cover the events.

Before dinner, the evening kicked off with a champagne reception by the pool overlooking the Maxi Cat Qatar 2006, moored in the marina. The mood was upbeat and the buzz was evident as the teams and organisers relaxed and discussed the day’s events.

Hugh Leventon from MRS opened day two by discussing sponsorship, Doo Gurney from Tribe Qatar spoke about Media and PR and Richard Simmonds from APP Broadcast outlined the television package.

John Caswell and David Butter from Group Partners held a discussion group with all the teams and explored the various ways the organisers and teams can work together to ensure the longevity of the events in Qatar. John Caswell “The discussion was lively and extremely interesting and covered all aspects of the events”.

John Harwood Bee, Cheyenne, “This is absolutely amazing, I have never seen competing teams come together so enthusiastically to contribute to an open discussion on where we are going with these boats. It was the forum we have craved and Tracy really has captured the essence of what we need to do to move forwards. It is incredible what she has achieved today considering the cynicism that has existed from some quarters of the sailing world. We really didn’t know what to expect when we got here and she really has proved what her team and these events are made of. Well done.”

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston added “The quality of the speakers has been very impressive. They have told us the things we need to know in an eloquent and informative way. The team that Tracy has assembled is truly awe inspiring and gives us all massive confidence in their ability to put on two great events that will last long into the future. We wondered what she had been up over the past six months and now we know! Anyone who doubted these events has been proved utterly and sadly misguided.”

The conference concluded with Tracy, Group Partners, Doo Gurney and Hugh Leventon in private meetings with the individual teams to gather the information needed to assist them to the start line.

Tracy Edwards, “Yes, we know there is a lot of work ahead of us but the conversations we have had today and the willingness we have seen to work with us, convinces me that we will have these boats on the start line. All the teams have something to offer a sponsor and they are all of the highest calibre. There is now increasing awareness of the events in the region and a genuine interest in sponsorship of these amazing boats and their awesome crews.”

Rick Parrish of NAPT provided a safety demonstration to the teams and talked about the ocean safety training facilities they have developed in Qatar. Mike Noel-Smith also discussed The Quest 2006 and outlined the progress with stopovers.

Many of the delegates went on the desert safari with Qatar Adventures courtesy of Qatar Tourism Authority. Dave Scully from Cheyenne said afterwards “We were sadly only here for a short time and this was a great opportunity to see some of what Qatar has to offer. Thank you QTA and Gulf Adventures we had a great day. It really was a splendid end to a very impressive conference.”

Before leaving Doha, Cam Lewis added his thanks to Qatar “We really have had an educational three days. We have learned so much of Qatar and their hospitality has been warm and engaging. The conference has given us the information and the incentive we need to go and find a sponsor so that we can participate in The Oryx Cup and The Quest 2006.

“I am extremely impressed with what Tracy, her team and Qatar have achieved” added Ross Field “I really had no idea what to expect but I am totally convinced that these events will be successful and have a long life. I am so glad that I attended the conference and I know now that I would like to be on the start line…..to win of course!”