This Is Your Life: Tracy Edwards

Tracy EDWARDS MBE (1962-)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Tracy Edwards, sailor, was surprised by Michael Aspel during a photo shoot for her newly published book on board her boat Maiden in London's St Katharine's Dock.

Tracy, who first learned to sail while working on charter yachts in Greece at the age of 17, took part in her first Whitbread Round the World Race as the cook aboard the boat Atlantic Privateer in 1985, becoming the first woman to race around the world on a Maxi yacht.

Against all the odds, Tracy decided to enter the first all-female crew in the 1989-90 Whitbread, and after selling her house to finance the boat that became Maiden, the crew set sail in September 1989 on their nine month, 33,000 mile trip. Maiden won two of the legs and came second in class overall, achieving the best result for a British boat since 1977 and the best result for an all-female crew ever. Tracy became the first woman in the 34 year history of the race to be awarded the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy.

"Oh no! This is ridiculous - I can't believe this!"

programme details...

Edition No: 789
Subject No: 778
Broadcast date: Wed 21 Nov 1990
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Wed 12 Sep 1990
Venue: Teddington Studios
Series: 31
Edition: 5
Code name: Skip

on the guest list...

Nancy Hill
Jo Gooding
Sarah-Jane Ingram
Simon Lawrence - husband
Howard Gibbons
message from Sarah, Duchess of York
Pat - mother
Trevor - brother
Greg Bint - cousin
Phyllis Kedge
Anita Jones
Mike Corns
Jaynie Boyes
Jeni Mundy
Clare Russell
Bart van den Dwey
Juar Gabi Javas
Simon Le Bon
Robin Knox-Johnston
Clare Francis
King Hussein of Jordan

production team...

Researcher: Elizabeth Ross
Writer: Norman Giller
Directors: Brian Klein, Terry Yarwood
Associate Producer: John Graham
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Life on the Ocean Wave

adventurers of the high seas

The Night of 1000 Lives

a celebration of a thousand editions

Screenshots of Tracy Edwards This Is Your Life

Tracy Edwards recalls her experience of This Is Your Life in her autobiography, Living Every Second...

Often I was doing three or four engagements a day, arriving home exhausted.

The house still hadn't been finished, but we were getting there slowly. At least I could see how it was going to look.

Each morning Simon headed off to work. I walked the dogs, answered mail and visited the office. Another batch of invitations awaited answers. I couldn't turn anybody down - no matter how small. A third class at a small country school would write, or a local branch of the Women's Institute, and each time I agreed.

Four days after marrying Simon on 4 September 1990, I embarked on a whirlwind round of book signings for Maiden up and down the country. Among the first was at St Katharine's Dock in London, where the publishers had arranged for Maiden to be the backdrop.

Tricia and I met up beforehand for coffee at the Belgravia Sheraton. She had arranged a car and driver to take us to the dock. We left at about 2.15 p.m., driving along the Embankment towards Tower Bridge. The traffic was surprisingly light and we had a quick run. As we came up to the bridge the car kept going instead of turning right. I didn't know London very well, but I knew the driver had taken a wrong turn.

'I'm sorry, but I think you've just missed our turn.'

'Oh, right, where are you going?'

'St Katharine's Dock.'

'OK, sorry about that.'

He took a few turns and we slowly found our way back to Tower Bridge. Just as we were about to cross the lights, he suddenly veered off again.

'I'm sorry, but you've just made the same mistake. We need to go to St Katharine's Dock.'

'I'm sorry, love. We're early.'

'So what? I don't mind. It's nice to be early. I could have another cup of coffee.'

'OK. Right you are.'

I began to feel nervous. The driver kept glancing at me in the rear mirror. Why wasn't Tricia kicking up a fuss? Normally, she'd be ripping his throat out.

'Relax, Tracy,' she said. 'We have loads of time.'

Something wasn't quite right about this scene. Then it dawned on me. We're being kidnapped! Tricia obviously didn't realise. I couldn't say anything because the driver kept watching me strangely in the rear mirror. Glancing sideways, I noticed the car door on Tricia's side wasn't locked. Right! I told myself. At the next set of traffic lights, I'll push her out and jump. We'll both make a run for it.

Then I told myself not to be silly. People don't get abducted in broad daylight in central London. The man was clearly a complete idiot. How did he get a licence? We neared the same roundabout at Tower Bridge.

'If you don't turn this time, pal, you're in big trouble,' I told him, with just enough menace to have him worried.

By the time we arrived at St Katharine's Dock I had steam coming out of my ears. Unknown to me, I was being filmed as I slammed the car door and stormed down the footpath towards the boat.

A photographer wanted to get a quick publicity shot of me standing at the helm. I threw my shoes on to the deck and clambered aboard. It was frightening how quickly I changed from a furious harridan into a beaming 'sporting personality'.

As he fired off a roll of film, the centre hatch behind me slowly opened and the girls began to emerge on deck. I turned and let out a squeal of delight. What were they doing here? The publishers must have arranged this.

I gave them all hugs and kept asking questions.

'Tracy Edwards?'

I turned to see Michael Aspel clutching his red book.

'I think you know what this is.' he said.

'Oh, my God, I'm too young. I'm not ready for this.'

'Tracy Edwards. This is your life!'

My first reaction was blind panic. I hadn't lived my life yet.

There had to be some mistake. Then I thought. Oh, my God, who have they dredged up? What guests have they chosen?

From St Katharine's Dock I was taken to the studio where the girls had a jolly time in the hospitality suite while I was locked in a Portakabin in the carpark for two hours.

An assistant showed me the clothes that Simon had brought for me to wear on the biggest evening of my life. He'd chosen an outfit that I wouldn't be caught dead wearing - white tights, white shoes and a blue suit.

I was furious. I had to borrow a pair of tights from the make-up woman, along with her shoes, and the hairdresser lent me her jumper.

I hated not knowing what was going on. How could people I knew so well have lied to me? All my worst fears began to surface. Hang on a second. What if Mum organised this? Her perception of my life was totally different from what actually happened. This was going to be a disaster.

As the show opened, I felt acute embarrassment. The girls were gathered in the audience, along with all my aunts, uncles and cousins.

Michael Aspel started his introduction. 'Tracy Edwards, you were born at Battle Hospital in Reading on the 5th of September, 1962...'

I kept racking my brain. Who had they found?

'Do you recognise this voice?' he asked.

The answer was no.

It was Phyllis Kedge, from the Phyllis Kedge School of Dance in Reading. I was surprised that she was still alive and wouldn't have recognised her.

Next came an old school friend Anita Jones, from Arts Educational. I hadn't seen her in nearly fifteen years. Mike Corns and Jaynie, from Kovalam, were the next guests to emerge.

Not everybody could be there. The Duchess of York sent a lovely letter which Michael Aspel read aloud. She reminded me of the polo club lunch in Uruguay and then said: 'Before you left I had a message for you, Tracy. Do you remember? I said "Don't let me down, girls, you've got to win. My street cred is suffering." I'm proud to say that you didn't.'

Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail single-handed nonstop around the world, sent a filmed message:

'Hello Tracy, I know I speak on behalf of the whole world of yachting when I congratulate you on your achievement. To be awarded the MBE and to be elected Yachtsman of the Year just goes to show how highly we rate you. Good luck and calm seas in all your future voyages...'

The final message came from King Hussein.

'It has been some years ago since Queen Noor and I first met you, Tracy. Many may have had doubts regarding your abilities to accomplish what you set out to accomplish, but I am not one of them. Your qualities of leadership and your vision are what make you so unique. Well done.'

It was an amazing night. I felt enormously proud and also humble that so many people I admired had said nice things about me. The general consensus seemed to be, 'We knew that you had it in you, Tracy.' I thought this extraordinary considering I didn't know it myself.

Scriptwriter Roy Bottomley recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is Your Life: The Story of Television's Famous Big Red Book...

Tracey Edwards MBE, who captained the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Race, all 33,000 miles of it, was due for a photo-call on board Maiden at St Katharine's Dock in London on 12 September 1990. What she didn't know was that her all-female crew was hiding below deck with Michael Aspel.

Yet the woman who had created her own bit of history by captaining that all-girl crew in the world's most demanding yachting event used to suffer from seasickness. That was when she worked on a yacht in the Greek Islands.

When we surprised her she had just been voted the first woman 'Yachtsman of the Year'.

There was a warm greeting from another brave woman of the sea, Clare Francis, and from a royal sponsor, King Hussain of Jordan.

The Duchess of York had agreed to film a tribute to round-the-world yachtswoman Tracy Edwards: then out came that vast colour-picture spread in Hello magazine, for which the Yorks were said to have picked up enough to redecorate 'South-York'.

A script had been written and Fergie had approved it. But after the Hello exposure clearly someone at the Palace had told her 'no' to any more.

Instead, she signed the script I had written as a letter.

Series 31 subjects