Oryx Quest

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Oryx Quest was the name of the first round-the-world yacht race to start and finish in the Middle East^[1] and was held in February 2005 in Qatar.^[2]

The race, organised by British sailor Tracy Edwards, was regarded as a follow-up to The Race of 2000 and was designed to complement existing Multihull races. It was hoped that the size of the prize and the potential speed of the participating boats would make it the most-exciting round-the-world race to date. Record prize money of $1 million was offered by Qatar Sports International which was headed by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Heir Apparent of Qatar, which hoped to gain publicity as a tourism destination. The prize money however, along with the £6 million sponsorship was never paid by Qatar Sports International.

On 5 February four multihulled yachts began the route, off Doha.