The Oryx Quest is announced in Qatar 

In April 2004 QSI finally decided that it was ready to announce the event in Qatar and to that end they gave us a stand at the annual QSI Expo

The QSI Expo is held every year at the Sheraton exhibition centre and was the perfect opportunity to show off the model of Maiden II newly decked out in in her Qatar colours.

The real Maiden II (renamed Qayar 2006 to promote the Asian Games that were to be held in Doha in December 2006) was making her way gingerly through pirate infested waters just south of The Suez Canal.

On 4th April HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani came to see our stand.  He shook my hand and quietly asked me "Have we signed the agreement yet?"

The following day the Middle East press gathered to hear the announcement

At this point (without taking into account what I and my personal investors were spending to keep Maiden II going) I was over £140,000 out of pocket, paying for wages, flights and the London announcement so funding the press announcement in Qatar which included journalists flights and hotels was just another burden in the big scheme of things

HE Sheikh Jassim bin Thamer Al Thani was dispatched by HH Shiekh Tamim to help unveil the beautiful Oryx Quest Trophy designed by William Asprey and to read a quote by his Highness

We completed the ceremonial signing

and it was the first time in a year that I breathed a sigh of relief

and really felt able to stop worrying about money and get on with the job at hand which, with the time that had been wasted, looked even more scary than it had when we had signed the first agreement in plenty of time!

We also had our other sponsor quitely waiting in the wings so, had, to all intents and purposes, already fulfilled our side of the bargain.