1997–98 Whitbread Round the World Race
The 1997–98 Whitbread Round the World Race was the seventh edition of the around-the-world sailing event Whitbread Round the World Race. The Whitbread Round the World Race ran for the first time with all W60 boats and to a "points vs time" (instead of aggregate leg time) scoring system to enhance the value of the shorter race legs.
Also, in an effort to attract additional media coverage, the Whitbread race committee divided the race into no less than 9 legs for the 1997 to 1998 race, therefore increasing the number of ports visited.
Volvo had its first major association with the race in 1997 to 1998 by sponsoring the trophy (thus the race was officially known as the Whitbread 'round the world race for the Volvo Trophy) and some of the media coverage. For the first time running to W60-only specification, this year's Whitbread attracted just 10 entries—the fewest to date.
Legs
- Southampton – Cape Town
- Cape Town – Fremantle
- Fremantle – Sydney
- Sydney – Auckland
- Auckland – São Sebastião
- São Sebastião – Fort Lauderdale
- Fort Lauderdale – Baltimore
- Baltimore – La Rochelle
- La Rochelle – Southampton
Results
Pos | Boat | Crew | Country | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | Tot |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | EF Language | Cayard, Paul Paul Cayard | Sweden | 125 | 72 | 105 | 70 | 135 | 101 | 81 | 55 | 92 | 836 |
2 | Merit Cup | Dalton, Grant Grant Dalton | Monaco | 110 | 48 | 70 | 105 | 78 | 66 | 50 | 66 | 105 | 698 |
3 | Swedish Match | Krantz, Gunnar Gunnar Krantz | Sweden | 36 | 125 | 92 | 60 | 91 | 89 | 92 | 44 | 60 | 689 |
4 | Innovation Kvaerner | Frostad, Knut Knut Frostad | Norway | 97 | 110 | 60 | 40 | 65 | 77 | 70 | 33 | 81 | 633 |
5 | Silk Cut | Smith, Lawrie Lawrie Smith | Great Britain | 84 | 84 | 40 | 50 | 26 DNF | 115 | 60 | 101 | 70 | 630 |
6 | Chessie Racing | Collins, George George Collins & John Kostecki | United States | 72 | 60 | 81 | 81 | 105 | 55 | 40 | 89 | 30 | 613 |
7 | Toshiba | Conner, Dennis Dennis Conner & Paul Standbridge | United States | 60 | 97 | 50 | 92 | 0 DSQ | 44 | 20 PEN | 115 | 50 | 528 |
8 | Brunel Sunergy | Bouscholte, Hans Hans Bouscholte & Roy Heiner | Netherlands | 12 | 24 | 30 | 30 | 119 | 33 | 105 | 22 | 40 | 415 |
9 | EF Education | Guillou, Christine Christine Guillou | Sweden | 24 | 36 | 20 | 20 | 26 DNF | 22 | 30 | 77 | 20 | 275 |
10 | America's Challenge | Field, Ross Ross Field | United States | 48 | 0 DNS | 0 DNS | 0 DNS | 0 DNS | 0 DNS | 0 DNS | 0 DNS | 0 DNS | 48 |
- Full details of finishing positions can be found in: Media Guide: 5. History
- Toshiba was originally skippered by Chris Dickson. Dickson was fired after Leg 1.[1] Hans Bouscholte was also replaced by Roy Heiner after leg 1. America's Challenge syndicate withdrew prior to the start of leg two for financial reasons.[2]
Leg Winners:
Leg | Start | Finish | Leg winner | Skipper |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Southampton, England | Cape Town, South Africa | EF Language | Paul Cayard (USA) |
2 | Cape Town, South Africa | Fremantle, Australia | Swedish Match | Gunnar Krantz |
3 | Fremantle, Australia | Sydney, Australia | EF Language | Paul Cayard (USA) |
4 | Sydney, Australia | Auckland, New Zealand | Merit Cup | Grant Dalton (NZ) |
5 | Auckland, New Zealand | Sao Sebastiao, Brazil | EF Language | Paul Cayard(USA) |
6 | Sao Sebastiao, Brazil | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Silk Cut | Lawrie Smith (GB) |
7 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Baltimore, Maryland | Brunel Sunergy | Roy Heiner (NL) |
8 | Annapolis, Maryland | La Rochelle, France | Toshiba | Paul Standbridge (NZ) |
9 | La Rochelle, France | Southampton, England | Merit Cup | Grant Dalton (NZ) |