Global challenge final selection

Skippers whittled down for round the world race

This weekend Challenge Business will be welcoming 19 potential Global Challenge race skippers to a week-long residential course at Hayling Island Sailing Club to make its final decision about who will be the next 12 race skippers and two reserves for the prestigious Global Challenge 2004/5.

The week of intense mental and physical activity will be a nail biting time for the skippers, who have been whittled down from an original cast of more than 300 who applied nearly a year ago.

A team from Challenge Business, including Simon Walker, managing director and veteran of two Global Challenges and Jeremy Troughton, sailing manager and skipper from the BT Global Challenge 2000/01 will be assessing the skippers. This will be in conjunction with Inspiring Performance, the official training organisation for the race. Inspiring Performance conducted a two-year research programme during the BT Global Challenge 2000/01 looking into the leadership skills and attributes required for sustained performance. It will be using these findings as the basis of this week’s selection and development programme.

“The aim of the week is not only to pick the skippers for the race, but also to develop all the applicants’ leadership abilities, their team awareness and effectiveness,” explains Simon Walker, from Challenge Business.

The week will be divided into succinct areas: the personal attributes required to be an effective leader on the race, the management skills necessary to run an effective team and the leadership attributes required to take a novice crew through a race of this magnitude.

“We’ll be taking the skippers through many of the issues they are likely to face during the race,” explains Rosie Mackie of Inspiring Performance. “We’ll also have a number of speakers including Sir Chay Blyth, previous skippers and watch leaders from the last three races, who will instil all their expertise to the chosen few.”

Challenge Business invests a substantial amount into the year-long skipper selection process and no other yacht race in the world has such a strict leadership and management criteria in parallel to its stringent sailing requirements. “Safety of the crew is paramount to the success of the event, plus an overall personality capable of dealing with everything the race will throw at them,” explains Jeremy Troughton of Challenge Business.

The Global Challenge 2004/5 has seen the largest number of international skippers apply, reflecting the true international flavour of the Global Challenge. Skippers will be coming from South Africa, Australia, Italy, France, Ireland, Scandinavia and UK. In the 11-year history of the race, the event has grown in both prestige and magnitude and is the pinnacle for many professional skippers.

“The week will be intense, hard work and challenging but is the only way we can determine the 12 skippers who will make it through to compete in the World’s Toughest Yacht Race,” concludes Challenge Business’ Sir Chay Blyth.

The elite 12 skippers and two reserves will be announced at a special ceremony at St Katherine Docks in London on the 12th November 2003.