Chay Blyth

He was the first person to sail single-handed non-stop westwards around the world (1971), on a 59-foot boat called British Steel.

This event allowed novices to sail around the world in a professionally organised race.

However, a downturn in the sponsorship market meant that the 2004/2005 Global Challenge race set off without a title sponsor.

[6] While chairman of Challenge Business, Blyth was the mentor for Dee Caffari on her successful bid to be the first woman to sail around the world against the prevailing winds and currents in 2005–2006.

He became non-executive chairman of the franchise which was formed to run a new and enlarged service from 1 April 2006.