activities as part of the Whithread
Race in cooperation with the entrants
from their own countries.
Publicity
The Whithread Race attracts an
unprecedented amount of publicity.
Research has shown that the last edi
tion of the race (in 1989) had televi
sion coverage in 120 countries throu
ghout the world, attracting some 750
million viewers. It was almost impos
sible to count the number of newspa
pers and magazines which carried
reports on the race.
Sponsors of individual yachts have
also been highly satisfied with the
results of their sponsorship. The boost
in brand awareness - often the chief
reason for entering into a sponsorship
The Whithread Round the World
Race is held once every four years. As
from September 1993 the yacht crews
will again be starting out on their
nine-month contest, facing all the
challenges that nature throws at
them. In each leg the crews will com
pete for the Heineken Trophy. The
Whithread Trophy is awarded to the
crew which gains the best overall
results.
An estimated 35 racing yachts
from 23 countries will be there at the
start in the British port of Southamp
ton. The first leg (5938 nautical miles)
will take them to Punta del Este in
Uruguay.
The second leg is the longest, 7558
nautical miles, and goes from Punta
del Este to Fremantle in Australia.
After that comes a short leg of 3272
nautical miles to Auckland, New
Zealand.
Leg four is another one packed
with tough challenges: the yachts will
race from Auckland, round Cape Horn
and back to Punta del Este. During the
trip of 5914 nautical miles the crews
will have to defy heavy storms and bit
ter cold and keep a constant look-out
for icebergs.
From icy cold to sweltering heat;
an enormous contrast, as the penulti
mate leg (5475 nautical miles) will
take the contestants from Punta del
Este to Fort Lauderdale in the United
States. The closing leg over a distance
of 3818 nautical miles goes from Fort
Lauderdale back to Southampton.
- was always greater than expected.
One Australian manufacturer of do
mestic appliances found that aware
ness of its brand name rocketed from
8% to 87% thanks to its sponsoring of
a yacht! Ry now the Whitbread Race
has built up such a good reputation in
the business world that the remark
able situation has arisen in which
sponsors are looking for yachts in
stead of the other way round.
For Heineken, too, there are enor
mous opportunities to enhance the
awareness and image of the brand.
Certainly now that satellite technolo
gy is so sophisticated that a direct TV
report can be beamed from the yachts
during the legs. Viewers will therefore
have the chance of following the
race's progress almost day by day.
