News - 2017

11:44 Friday 4 Aug 2017 Sue Pelling/LCWLendy lead Finance Challenge going into final race

Team Lendy Ltd ready for battle in today's crucial final race of the Lendy Finance Challenge – photo Tom Gruitt/LCW

The third year of the Finance Challenge, this year supported by Title Sponsor Lendy has once again proved a huge success with a total nine boats from financial institutions racing within the Sunsail fleet.

The idea of the Finance Challenge, which was launched in 2014, was to encourage financial institutions to race against one another in friendly, yet competitive racing within the regatta on a level playing field aboard identical Sunsail First 40 Match racing yachts.

The five-day Challenge, open to any companies involved in the Finance Industry, offers competitors superb networking opportunities with the other participating financial companies during the regatta.

Going into the final race the leading team of this highly-contested series is Lendy Ltd – Title Sponsor of not only Cowes Week, but also the Finance Challenge. They are currently leading with 12 points, ahead of Deloitte Green on 18 points, and Deloitte Black and Collinson on equal 20 points.

Before they left the dock this morning, we caught up with team Lendy. Paul Riddell – Head of marketing & communications for Lendy Ltd – said they never expected how successful the Challenge would be.

“We are absolutely delighted to be leading the Lendy Finance Challenge going into the last race. We’ve had a few runner-up positions this week, a sixth or seventh, and we won in the big winds on Wednesday too. The whole event has been a very exhilarating experience.”

Like many of the other Financial teams racing in the Challenge this week, Lendy Ltd is sailing a couple of professional crew onboard but the whole team has seemingly been put to the test.

“It has given us an opportunity to invite different guests every day. We’ve had a whole range experience sailors onboard from those who’ve sailed before to those who’d not sailed at all. Every single person who has come out with us this week has had an absolutely wonderful time; the best sporting experience ever.”

“Being on a yacht in a close environment is, I guess, a bit like a condensed ‘Get me out of here’. You very quickly get to learn who is good at certain things, and who you can rely on for doing different jobs. It is amazing how people bond and gel really quickly, and importantly help each other. We are so pleased we have been able to give our guests such an amazing sailing experience.”

Chatting to one of the Lendy’s guests who is a total novice sailor, it was clear he had a good competitive spirit, which is just what is needed given pressure on the team in the last race.

Lendy guest, Mike Caldwell, commented: “I am thoroughly looking forward to today I’ve not done anything like this before so I am hugely grateful to Paul [Riddell] for inviting me, so really looking forward to getting out on the water because it is all to play for.”