The 1997-98 Whitbread Round the World Race was won by Paul Cayard and his EF Language team, who won three of the first five legs, en route to a convincing victory. His team was composed of many sailors from his 1999-2000 America’s Cup campaign, and they brought an as yet unseen intensity to their approach on the water.
The 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race was a true classic, ending in a clean sweep of all six legs by Peter Blake and the crew of Steinlager 2.
Lionel Péan would skipper L’esprit d’équipe to victory over 14 other teams, marking the first time a French team would win the race.
Conny van Rietschoten returned to the third edition of the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1981-82 determined not just to defend his title but to win both line honors on every leg, and the overall race on handicap. Impressively, with his Flyer II, he was able to accomplish just that.
The official film about the first Whitbread Round the World Race has been digitalised recently. Winner was the Swan 65 Sayula II of Ramon Carlin MEX, who finished the race in 133 days. 17 teams participated. 3 sailors lost their live at sea.
