Historic Whitbread Veteran 50th Anniversary Reunion

07/09/2023

Whitbread

4 Days to Start McIntyre Ocean Globe

The largest gathering of Whitbread Veterans in sailing history. 83 veterans celebrate their 50th Anniversary at the iconic OGR Whitbread Reunion. Crew from 38 Yachts including Sayula II, Adventure, Heath’s Condor and British Soldier among the guests all receive the official 50th Anniversary OGR- Whitbread gold coin!
Translated 9 IT (09) welcomed Clare Francis and crew of ADC Accutrac onboard to relive their 1977 Whitbread Race.
Veterans visit the seven former Whitbread yachts entered in the McIntyre Ocean Globe including Maiden UK (03), Pen Duick VI FR (14) and Whitbread winner L’Esprit d’Équipe FR (85).
Tracy Edwards MBE celebrates her birthday in style with Maiden Crew and fellow Whitbread Veterans

Sailing history was made yesterday with 83 Whitbread veterans, representing 38 Whitbread boats, reliving their memories and telling their stories at the OGR 50th Anniversary reunion held in MDL Race Village, Ocean Village Southampton. It was a highly emotional evening as the veterans caught up with ‘old’ sailing friends, and former rivals, in the company of the crews preparing to sail around the world in the McIntyre Ocean Globe (OGR), a race in the spirit of the original Whitbread Round the World Race from 1973.

The evening was compared by Barry Pickthall, aka Mr Whitbread, the former yachting correspondent for The Times newspaper who has covered every Whitbread race. He welcomed OGR race patron, Sir Chay Blyth, who skippered Great Britain II in the first Whitbread. Chay was delighted to be in the company of so many veterans.