Challenge Business go the pretty way

New round the world race for paying crew announced to start in 2006

Challenge Business today announced a brand-new event - the Blue Water Challenge - a race around the world, following a warm water route to some of the most exotic locations in the world.

As with the Global Challenge - the company's flagship event - a fleet of Challenge Business owned 72ft yachts will be crewed by one professional skipper and 17 men and women, aged between 21 and 60. Equally matched in order to provide a level playing field, these crews will be made up of people from a wide range of different nationalities and from all walks of life.

The fleet will leave from Southampton and undertake a preliminary race to Hamburg where the race will officially start in the autumn of 2006. From Germany the fleet will head down the Channel and out in to the Atlantic at the start of their ten-month, 30,000 mile adventure. After a stopover in the Caribbean the fleet will pass through the Panama Canal before racing on to Mexico. Once they leave Mexico they will be faced with the prospect of racing across the World's largest Ocean - the Pacific Ocean.

Their route to Hong Kong across this enormous stretch of water will only be broken by a stopover in the paradise islands of Hawaii. After battling across the Pacific the yachts will race from Hong Kong to Cape Town via Malaysia and across the equator for the first time. The final legs will see the fleet crossing the Atlantic once more to Brazil before an exciting finish into Southampton.

"The Blue Water Challenge will enable us to offer the exhilarating sport of round-the-world yacht racing to individuals who may never even have stepped into a boat before" explains Simon Walker, managing director, Challenge Business.

"The difference with this race is where it goes; the classic route across the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope and then visiting destinations most people only dream about.

"The Blue Water Challenge makes these dreams achievable with crews sailing in identical and proven Global Challenge yachts, experiencing the camaraderie, teamwork and competitiveness of ocean racing whilst visiting some of the most exciting and exotic ports in the world.

"We've always based our races around listening to what our Crew Volunteers want and all of our round-the-world yacht races in the past decade have been oversubscribed. We're confident that this race will meet the needs of a whole new group of adventurers who are also after the training, reputation and security of a Challenge Business event."

The total fee for the Race including full training is £26,500 (EUR39,950*). Crew also receive a branded foul weather suit, branded race clothing, a training pack, race training and invitations to the farewell and prize giving celebrations.

Challenge Business offers a unique payment schedule spread over the three years preceding the race, which is aimed at assisting the Crew with their financial planning.