Tracy Edwards MBE

Tracy Edwards won international fame in 1989 as the first skipper of an all-female crew to sail around the world. The boat won two legs and came second overall in her class.
In 1990 Tracy was awarded Sportswoman of the Year and an MBE. She was the first woman to achieve acceptance by the British yachting community and paved the way for other women to follow.

Tracy wrote the story of her record-breaking Whitbread voyage, and the book Maiden was published in 1994 and remained at number one in the book chart for 19 weeks.

Tracy Edwards came into sailing by an unconventional route. Her father died when she was young and her mother travelled the world as a ballet dancer. She was expelled from school at 15 and began sailing as an on-board cook. Tracy overcame chronic sea-sickness to become a professional Sailor in 1980 and embarked on her first Whitbread Round The World Race 1985-86 as a crewmember on “Atlantic Privateer” which came 1st on the Cape Town – Auckland leg. Following her success with Maiden, Tracy set to consolidate her position as one of the world’s top sailors by entering Trophy Jules Verne in 1998 again with an all-female crew. This yachting trophy is for the fastest circumnavigation around the world with no stopping and no outside assistance. She was well on course for the record for more than half of their route, but was thwarted by treacherous seas off coast of Chile and her mast snapped in two. During the attempt Tracy and her team broke 7 world records.

Tracy retired from round-the-world sailing two years later when pregnant with daughter Mackenna, and published her second book “Living Every Second”. She then decided to turn her attention to organising round the world sailing events, and the development of a formal governing body for Multihulls with championship tables and rules.

In 2003 she set up Quest International Sports Events and signed a £6million sponsorship deal with the Crown Prince of Qatar to create two round-the-world races and a marina complex. HSBC sponsored the first event to the tune of £3million. The Oryx Quest 2005 was a huge success and created $46m worth of press coverage for the gulf state. However, Qatar refused to pay Tracy the £8million she had borrowed to facilitate the event and pay the teams to enter. Qatar also refused to pay the $1million prize money. Quest consequently went into receivership and Tracy was forced into bankruptcy in September 2005.

Having been discharged in September 2006, Tracy has spent the past eleven years rebuilding her life, consulting for companies doing business in the Middle East, motivational and teambuilding presentations and pursuing legal action against Qatar. She won her first case in Qatar in 2006.

In 2007 and 2008 Tracy worked for CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) as Project Manager for their International Youth Advisory Conference. Working with the UN she assisted in the creation of the 2009 Resolution to the UNCRC. Upon completion of her contract Tracy enrolled at Roehampton University taking a 3 year degree in Psychology and graduating with an upper 2:1

In March 2013 Tracy founded Safer World Training Ltd which spent a year researching the impact of Online Reputation, Sexting and Cyber Bullying upon young people. This research is now being utilised in the development of an App which will be launched in September 2016.

Tracy then created the Maiden Rescue charity in 2014 in order to rescue Maiden and bring her home to the UK. Maiden is an iconic piece of British Maritime History and once refitted she will become Maiden Ambassador for Girls’ Rights working with UN Women, The Girl Effect and Girls Network. Maiden will promote and fundraise for girls’ rights to education in the UK and developing countries.

In addition to her many sailing adventures, Tracy is a Motivational Speaker and covers a range of subjects including;

• Effective Leadership and Teamwork
• How to bounce back after reaching rock bottom
• Online Reputation and dangers for young people (including sexting and cyber bullying)
• The Maiden Rescue Charity

Tracy is a unique speaker having experienced not only the upsides of winning but also the devastation of taking a calculated risk that resulted in financial ruin. She speaks eloquently and is disarmingly open about success and failure. The biggest lessons in life are learnt when things go wrong and Tracy’s story of battling against the odds to survive is poignant and truly revealing. There are many lessons to be learned from Tracy’s experiences of massive successes and devastating failure. In addition, Tracy has lost none of the sparkle and humour that audiences warm to and make her one of the most inspirational speakers of today.

“I am proud of her for having fulfilled her dream; for having risen to the challenge by no more than her own will and her unbeatable, infectious and inspiring spirit. I am delighted that Royal Jordanian Airlines was one of the privileged few who sponsored Maiden.”   King Hussein I of Jordan

“Within a couple of minutes of meeting Tracy and shaking her hand I knew this was a very special person. I knew instinctively that our money had been well spent.” Chairman Royal Sun Alliance

“Tracy’s dedication, professionalism and will to win, inspired everyone around her. While the records set in our colours and the media coverage generated gave the sponsor real quantifiable value, it was Tracy and her interviews, photo calls and staff presentations which really set the seal on the sponsorship’s success.” Royal SunAlliance

“Tracy Edwards gave two outstanding presentations as guest speaker at our two Investment Conferences in Jersey and Guernsey. The audience loved her as she bared her heart in telling the story of her achievements, in fabulous contrast to the dry-ish content of the global macro-economics at the heart of the seminar’s topics. Tracy delivered exactly what she said she would, and a significant portion of the audience have become her fans.”  Cazenove Capital Management

“At the Girls Day Schools Trust Young Leaders Conference we all really enjoyed your speech and found it very motivational. Being an all-girl’s school we have had our fair share of female inspirational speakers, however, we all agreed that we have never felt so empowered as we did after listening to you. We thought you were such an engaging speaker and that your determination to achieve in something you loved was something we could all learn from. To hear a woman who has achieved so much in her career, supported a family and also worked so hard to achieve gender equality can teach us all a life lesson, especially as Maiden has come so far in changing the status of women in yachting and in sports. AS a high profile female figure in sport we believe you provide a unique and interesting perspective on women’s place in sports and in society at large. You make an excellent role model.” Notting Hill & Ealing High School

Tracy’s presentation was extremely interesting, lively and relevant.  Given the time restrictions Tracy was able to cover all aspects of team work, change and leadership in a very funny and rewarding way.  Perfect for what we wanted.  We would very much like to use Tracy again please.  Thorneycroft Nationwide Building Society

The feedback from the delegates has been excellent – over 90% rated your presentation as excellent.  The skill with which you likened your experiences to our business was excellent and the following comments speak for themselves!
‘Fantastic – very motivational, passionate and enthusiastic.’
‘Excellent speaker – excited, motivated, inspired.’
‘Very appropriate and motivating.’
‘What can I say – fantastic!  Tracy has really fixed me up to believe that anything is possible with a great team (which we have).’  Head of Development Thomas Cook Group Ltd

Ten out of ten on every count.  Her enthusiasm is quite extraordinary and her articulation of the subject was quite frankly stunning.  Director – Royal Bank of Scotland

The sheer enthusiasm and drive to achieve goals inspired the audience.  A lot of tired people were suddenly very much awake!  Director Convergys

Enthusiastic, passionate and energetic.  Just right for the audience.  Left us feeling inspired to face the challenges ahead and we are in awe of Tracy and her team.  Virgin Cosmetics Company.

Tracy stood and spoke for an hour and the audience was totally captivated by her funny and insightful presentation.  Tracy has a clear message and is entertaining in her delivery – perfect for our event.  I would recommend her to anyone organising a conference.  The feedback has been very clear, that without a doubt this is the best speaker we have ever heard.  Goodness knows how we will find someone to match her at our next event!  DFSE

Shaping the Future Conference – You gave a wonderful presentation which was funny and entertaining whilst delivering a serious business message, which was perfect for our audience.  The feedback has been very positive with many delegates reporting that this was the best event they had attended in years!  Norfolk County Council

“I have used Tracy for a number of events and functions where she has presented to teams, coached leaders and delivered after dinner talks.  Tracy is, in my opinion, one of the best speakers I have ever heard.  Not only are her experiences and achievements truly staggering, but her ability to relate these to the workplace, is why we use Tracy again and again.   Hearing her speak so candidly about her recent experiences in the Middle East, has been fascinating. The lessons learned are very relevant to our business.  Managing Director, David Buchler Consultants Ltd

Initial feedback has been positively overwhelming:  you have left a very strong impression with our management team.  My one objective was to find a speaker that our managers would be able to identify links from the individual’s experiences to themselves and their own work situation.  You not only achieved but also managed to create a situation where we felt the hour passed all too quickly and we wanted to listen to you for far longer.  Human Resources Director Nottingham Building Society

On behalf of AT&T I would like to thank you for speaking at their UK Kick Off.  So far all the delegates have given you the maximum score of 5!!!  Comments range from Inspiring, captivating and entertaining to ‘Go on – Sponsor her! ’The Olive Partnership

Tracy’s lively and somewhat irreverent leadership messages were brought alive by references to sailing, she made relevant and pointed comments, also lessons about leadership in practice. Thank you for your outstanding contribution to our HR workshop. The Team found you stimulating, the content fascinating and the messages highly relevant. Whitbread Group

Very focused presentation from a very determined achiever, very vivid, practical demonstration of management in action, a fascinating insight into life as an ocean racer, useful and valued reminder of how to succeed. KPMG

With your motivational, passionate and also humoristic speech you have really contributed essentially to our most important event in the region. You really made it an unforgettable “Voyage of Discovery with Lucent” Count Durham TEC

We asked Tracy to come along to talk to our management team about her experiences, trial and tribulations she had overcome crossing the oceans of the world. Her insights into successes of teamwork and her examples of how she had to find reserve after reserve of courage and self-belief were motivational and inspirational. Many of our team managers were refreshed by the talk. Most of all Tracy’s bubbly personality which exuded enthusiasm and fun, gave us all a new perspective. Scottish Widows

She provided just the perfect balance of motivation laced with humour and appropriate contextual examples………..she managed to uplift us all! Proctor and Gamble

Energetic, brought home the teamwork message. Excellent feedback from all Resellers. Datatech 2000

Great demonstration of good things to come out of tough circumstances showing it’s down to you to lead and you cannot show fear in front of the team. Good feedback from the team leaders. Barclays Bank

Excellent, Excellent and Excellent! Exactly what we were after, it was something the delegates could really relate to in terms of the team working. Motivational and fun but with a serious message behind it. I hope you will be happy for me to come back to you in the future. IIR Conference Director

Inspirational, Informative, motivational presentation. It was light hearted but really took in the focus of business. Great! Virgin One Direct

Tracy’s presentation was extremely interesting, lively and relevant. Given the time restrictions Tracy was able to cover all aspects of team work, change and leadership in a very funny and rewarding way. Perfect for what we wanted. We would very much like to use Tracy again please. Nationwide Building Society

The feedback from the delegates has been excellent – over 90% rated your presentation as excellent. The skill with which you likened your experiences to our business was excellent and the following comments speak for themselves! ‘Fantastic – very motivational, passionate and enthusiastic.’ ‘Excellent speaker – excited, motivated, inspired.’ ‘Very appropriate and motivating.’ ‘What can I say – fantastic! Tracy has really fixed me up to believe that anything is possible with a great team (which we have).’ Thomas Cook Group Ltd

Ten out of ten on every count. Her enthusiasm is quite extraordinary and her articulation of the subject was quite frankly stunning. Royal Bank of Scotland

The sheer enthusiasm and drive to achieve goals inspired the audience. A lot of tired people were suddenly very much awake! Convergys

Enthusiastic, passionate and energetic. Just right for the audience. Left us feeling inspired to face the challenges ahead and we are in awe of Tracy and her team. Virgin Cosmetics Company

Initial feedback has been positively overwhelming: you have left a very strong impression with our management team. My one objective was to find a speaker that our managers would be able to identify links from the individual’s experiences to themselves and their own work situation. You not only achieved but also managed to create a situation where we felt the hour passed all too quickly and we wanted to listen to you for far longer. Nottingham Building Society

On behalf of AT&T I would like to thank you for speaking at their UK Kick Off. So far all the delegates have given you the maximum score of 5!!! Comments range from Inspiring, captivating and entertaining to ‘Go on – Sponsor her!’ The Olive Partnership

Shaping the Future Conference – You gave a wonderful presentation which was funny and entertaining whilst delivering a serious business message, which was perfect for our audience. The feedback has been very positive with many delegates reporting that this was the best event they had attended in years! DFSE

Possibly the best speaker we have ever heard, we gave Tracy ten plus out of ten! Tracy surpassed our expectations and is obviously passionate about her subject matter. Everyone is still singing her praises. She delivered her speech with passion, insight and wit. Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce

“Thank you so much for today. Your visit has created such a massive buzz around the school. I am so grateful that you did the maiden project in the first place. The entire Outdoor Education project of mine came from watching the Maiden Voyage at 12 years old and then basically replicating the principles at different stages of our project. In essence, literally thousands of disadvantaged inner city kids have had life changing experiences because of a direct result of your work. I never thought I would actually meet the leader of this project and I am truly amazed by this. Thank you so much again. Our staff and student are so inspired and much more so than I had thought they would be.” Head of Outdoor Education – Greig City Academy

“I wanted to thank you again for coming in last week to talk to the school. Everyone really enjoyed your talk – I have seen several albatross impressions around and I have been approached on many occasions by people asking me to recount how you got expelled from school! Even some year 11 girls have told me that they found you inspiring, which is a very impressive feat! Thank you so much for your time and wisdom.” Oxford High School

“At the Girls Day Schools Trust Young Leaders Conference we all really enjoyed your speech and found it very motivational. Being an all-girl’s school we have had our fair share of female inspirational speakers, however, we all agreed that we have never felt so empowered as we did after listening to you. We thought you were such an engaging speaker and that your determination to achieve in something you loved was something we could all learn from. To hear a woman who has achieved so much in her career, supported a family and also worked so hard to achieve gender equality can teach us all a life lesson, especially as Maiden has come so far in changing the status of women in yachting and in sports. AS a high profile female figure in sport we believe you provide a unique and interesting perspective on women’s place in sports and in society at large. You make an excellent role model.” Notting Hill & Ealing High School

Who or what was your motivation to achieve?
I was told I was useless at school and pretty much ignored as I was not academic.  However, I always remembered what my mother told me “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again!”  I have lived my life by that motto.

Why is it important for businesses and organisations to motivate staff in recession?
People are worried about life at the moment.  It is more important now than ever for businesses to let their staff know that they are valued and that everyone needs to pull together to make a difference.  People need to know that they are an important cog in the machine and that they have control over some part of their life.

What was the turning point of your sporting life?
Racing round the world with 17 South African men.  I decided there must be a less smelly way to race around the world – hence Maiden!

What was the turning point of your personal life?
Having my daughter at the age of 36.  I suddenly for the first time in my life felt like a grown up instead of a big kid!  Shame I didn’t learn it sooner really.

Were there times you thought you would not succeed?
Everyone has doubts, even those who say they don’t.  I think sometimes it is those doubts that spur you on.  The sea does not tolerate arrogance anyway, you have to be realistic if you want to survive.

What are you hoping to achieve in the future
At the end of a three year degree in Psychology I have started a career as a Life Coach and I am absolutely loving it!  I really like people and being able to work face to face with some really interesting people is a joy and a gift.  I may take a Masters Degree next year but we shall see.

Can you delegate?
On a boat you have to delegate you have no choice.  I have always picked people who are better than me if their specific areas so I would be crazy not to let them lead that area.  I struggle whilst managing a project on land though, as I do get into the VERY bad habit of thinking ‘it’s easier if I just do it’ – WRONG!

What makes a good manager or leader
A good leader leads from the front and by example – A GREAT leader knows the individuals in their team and what makes them tick.  I think also you have to be a people person.  Shackleton’s greatest skill was the way he knew and looked after his men who in turn worshipped him.  You have to really like people to be able to inspire that kind of loyalty.

Why do you think it is important to book an external speaker
I think external speakers can look at your organisation with a fresh perspective.  Sometimes in business it is hard to see the wood for the trees.  I brought in external team building experts on most of my sailing projects.  It helps to get a different perspective.