Tracy Talks




	© Tracy Edwards

Tracy Edwards talks about the Oxyx Quest

At the time that the preceeding articles were being researched, BYM News made every effort to get Tracy Edward’s version of events, but failed.

Her manager, Richard Beck, recently explained why. “We were under legal advice and if she spoke it could have jeopardised and prejudiced her case. We could not let that happen, we were sub judice and had to follow the rule of law. Now she can speak out and is determined to clear her name.”


	When you bought Club Med, you were clearly expecting to get a substantial sum of money, because you asked Andrew Pindar for a very short term loan (2 weeks). Were you expecting Qatar money at that early stage?


	The loan contract with Andrew Pindar was for two years not two weeks and yes we were close (or so we thought) to a deal. Andrew agreed with us and lent us the money.


	We cited two people – John Taylor and Bruno Peyron - as having said that you had damaged the sport of ocean racing, others have said the same thing. What is your response to them?

John Taylor was behind the disastrous £38 million announcement. The information that John had was that the cost of the four year sailing programme was £38 million and that we had a contract signed for £6 million from Qatar Sports International and that HSBC were looking at £3 million. We were also close to signing a £20 million Fleet Sponsorship deal.

John advised us to announce the ‘value’ of the programme’ NOT the amount of sponsorship already raised. He said that the press would be more interested in his way of announcing it. As he was supposed to be the expert that is what we did. It is the worst advice I have ever taken, as a couple of yachting journalists didn’t read the release properly and wrote “£38 million sponsorship deal.” John was then supposed to make sure that corrections were made but never did.

The announcement attracted every sleaze bag and money grabbing piece of pond life that you could imagine, all trying to relieve us of some of our supposed good fortune. We found out a few months later that it was the incorrect press reports that caused QSI to renege on the deal in December 2003 (or that is the reason they gave us anyway) and we were forced into protracted negotiations of a new agreement to save the event.

Just before HSBC signed as a sponsor in June 2004 for £3 million, all suppliers who had up until that point been working on spec (including Sports Impact) were asked to invoice Maiden Events Ltd (later to become Quest International Sports Events Ltd). Every single supplier managed to do this except John Taylor, who sent an invoice to Maiden Ocean Racing Qatar Ltd. We explained to him that he must invoice QISE (by that time) and that the amount of £85,000 was extortionate. He was told, repeatedly, to submit a breakdown of work done, time sheets, expense sheets as we estimated work done at £30,000. He refused to invoice the right company and he refused to justify his unbelievable invoices. We found this ironic as his PR cock up had caused us massive problems. EVERY OTHER SUPPLIER who invoiced QISE was paid. In the end QISE paid John Taylor approx £30,000. He then decided, for some bizarre reason, to take a dormant shelf company (MORQ) to court to pay an invoice that was being disputed by QISE instead of justifying his invoices. In the end I did not fight him getting a judgement to wind up MORQ, as it was and always had been a shelf company without even a bank account.

It is my personal opinion that John Taylor is the worst PR person we have ever worked with. I have been informed by the Official Receiver that he has finally managed to explain to John Taylor in words of one syllable that if anyone owes him money (although my whole team would dispute that) it is QISE and NOT MORQ. Well done John!!!!


	Bruno Peyron was particularly forthright, saying “I find this attitude no less than shocking, dishonest and unworthy of the values that The Race has defended since its inception (openness, tolerance, humanity, respect, exchange...).” What is your response?

Bruno Peyron makes me laugh with all his self serving, romantic rhetoric regarding Ocean Racing. You should speak to some of the people who took part in The Race and see what they think of the rubbish he talks.

Both Qatar events were nothing whatsoever to do with The Race, as most of the skippers and multihull owners we spoke to thought it was a dreadful event and wanted something different. The Qatar events were drawn up by my team, the skippers, owners and people in Qatar. We timed both events to slot between his events, to enhance them in that it gave yacht sponsors additional events for their boats. We did not know that Bruno was going to move both of his events back a year which then clashed with our events. He announced the change four days before our announcement and it was too late for us to change our dates.

In my view, Bruno has behaved like a spoiled brat ever since. His legal proceedings for $20 million for ‘loss of earnings’ was a joke! However, none of us were laughing, because as a direct result of his action, we lost the £20 million Fleet Sponsorship deal, which would have paid all the boats a substantial amount of money to enter both Qatar races. We then presented evidence proving this to the courts and put in a counter claim of £20 million, but the damage to Multihull sailing had already been done. In my opinion that was down to someone I see as a greedy and selfish, manipulative man, who thinks he owns the oceans.


	Bruno e-mailed me when he heard we were paying the boats to enter and asked for quadruple the amount of what everyone else was getting, for him to enter the event. We told him what was available, but he said he was worth more than anyone else and refused to enter.



	© V. Kalut/DPPI/RivaCom


	John Harwood-Bee has sued you over matters concerning the Cheyenne entry; is he one of your creditors?

	I actually feel quite sorry for the hapless John Harwood-Bee. He seems to be a man constantly looking for a mission, but out of his depth, out of touch with the modern sailing world and out of ideas. He doesn't seem to be happy unless he is hanging onto someone's coat tails ie. Steve Fossett or Robin Knox-Johnston. He pops up every so often, to give his opinion on the Oryx Quest, but no-one is really that interested. He writes about the crew not getting the prize money, so that he will come across as someone who cares or who is involved in some way, but he is a just a pathetic and sad person who failed to get a boat to the start line. His court action was I think born out of desperation, to justify the fact that he played Steve Fossett, Stuart Radnofsky, Robin Knox-Johnston and I off against each other, to secure $2 million for himself. He told Steve that only $1 million was available, which was not true at that point as Kingfisher II had just pulled out, leaving the $2 million available. I think, after speaking with Steve at length on this subject, that if he had come clean with Steve and me, Steve would possibly have allowed him to borrow the boat and I could then have given him $1million to compete. It.

was his greed and deceitful manoeuvering, towards buying the boat for himself with my money, that caused his downfall and now his anger at his own folly seems to be directed at me, in the guise of opining at mind numbingly boring lengths, about an event about which he knows little or nothing.

He has now persuaded Multiplast to let him represent them as a creditor of Quest. I feel sorry for Multiplast, who were so brilliant during the event, that they ended up with someone who so obviously needs to get a life of his own.

I reiterate that John Harwood-Bee is not and never has been a creditor of me or QISE. He is no way linked to the event and does not have any access to what is going on behind the scenes with Tony Bullimore, Brian Thompson and myself in the battle to get the prize money paid.

Tracy Edwards responding to questions by Marian Martin

Read Bruno Peyron’s response HERE

Read John Taylor’s response HERE

Tracy Edwards can be contacted through her manager Richard Beck. E-mail richard@thebigboy.com