The Whitbread Round the World Race ran for the first time with all W60

Volvo Ocean 60

The Whitbread 60 or Volvo Ocean 60 was the forerunner to the current class of racing designed for the Volvo Ocean Race, the Volvo Open 70....

 boats and to a "points vs time" (instead of aggregate leg time) scoring system to enhance the value of the shorter race legs. Also, in an effort to attract additional media coverage, the Whitbread race committee divided the race into no less than 9 legs for the 1997 to 1998 race. Volvo had its first major association with the race in 1997 to 1998 by sponsoring the trophy (thus the race was officially known as the Whitbread 'round the world race for the Volvo Trophy) and some of the media coverage. For the first time running to W60

Volvo Ocean 60

The Whitbread 60 or Volvo Ocean 60 was the forerunner to the current class of racing designed for the Volvo Ocean Race, the Volvo Open 70....

-only specification, this year's Whitbread attracted just 10 entries—the fewest to date.

Final Standings:

Pos	Boat	Nat	Skipper	Points
1	EF Language		Paul Cayard Paul Cayard Paul Pierre Cayard is an American yachtsman and professional sailor. He has competed at multiple world championship level sailing events, including the America's Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race and the Olympic Games. In 1998 he was selected as the Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year...  (USA)	836
2	Merit Cup		Grant Dalton Grant Dalton -Background:Grant Dalton is a professional sailor who started sailing at the age 8 in the P Class and soon started racing as a member of Maraeti Beach Boating Club...  (NZ)	698
3	Swedish Match		Gunnar Krantz (S)	689
4	Innovation Kvaerner		Knut Frostad Knut Frostad Knut Mauritz Frostad is a Norwegian yachtsman who has participated in a broad range of world championship level sailing events including the Volvo Ocean Race and the Olympic Games, the latter in windsurfing. He is currently CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race...  (N)	633
5	Silk Cut		Lawrie Smith Lawrie Smith Lawrie Smith is a British sailor. He won a bronze medal in the soling class at the 1992 Summer Olympics with Robert Cruikshank and Ossie Stewart....  (GBR)	630
6	Chessie Racing		George Collins / John Kostecki (USA)	613
7	Toshiba		Dennis Conner Dennis Conner Dennis Conner is an American yachtsman, noted for winning the bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics, two Star World Championships, and four wins in the America's Cup.-America's Cup:...  (USA) / Paul Standbridge (NZ)*	528
8	Brunel Sunergy		Hans Bouscholte / Roy Heiner (NL)	415
9	EF Education		Christine Guillou (F)	275
dnf	America's Challenge		Ross Field (NZ)	58

Full details of finishing positions can be found in: Media Guide: 5. History

• Toshiba was originally skippered by Chris Dickson
  Chris Dickson (sailor)
  Christopher Stuart Dickson, born 3 November 1961 in Auckland, is an internationally known sailor from New Zealand. He was world youth champion three years in succession and later became world match race champion three times...
  
  . Dickson was fired after Leg 1. Hans Bouscholte was also replaced by Roy Heiner after leg 1. America's Challenge syndicate withdrew prior to the start of leg two for financial reasons.

Leg Winners:

Leg	Start	Finish	Leg winner	Skipper
1	Southampton Southampton Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...	Cape Town Cape Town Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...	EF Language	Paul Cayard Paul Cayard Paul Pierre Cayard is an American yachtsman and professional sailor. He has competed at multiple world championship level sailing events, including the America's Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race and the Olympic Games. In 1998 he was selected as the Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year...  (USA)
2	Cape Town, South Africa	Fremantle Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...	Swedish Match	Gunnar Krantz
3	Fremantle, Australia	Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...	EF Language	Paul Cayard Paul Cayard Paul Pierre Cayard is an American yachtsman and professional sailor. He has competed at multiple world championship level sailing events, including the America's Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race and the Olympic Games. In 1998 he was selected as the Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year...  (USA)
4	Sydney, Australia	Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world... , New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...	Merit Cup	Grant Dalton (NZ)
5	Auckland, New Zealand	Sao Sebastiao São Sebastião São Sebastião is Portuguese for "Saint Sebastian". It may also refer to:-Brazil:* São Sebastião, Alagoas* São Sebastião, São Paulo* Ilha de São Sebastião, São Paulo, alternate name of Ilhabela* São Sebastião do Alto, Rio de Janeiro... , Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...	EF Language	Paul Cayard Paul Cayard Paul Pierre Cayard is an American yachtsman and professional sailor. He has competed at multiple world championship level sailing events, including the America's Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race and the Olympic Games. In 1998 he was selected as the Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year... (USA)
6	Sao Sebastiao, Brazil	Fort Lauderdale, Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...	Silk Cut	Lawrie Smith (GB)
7	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	Baltimore, Maryland Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...	Brunel Sunergy	Roy Heiner (NL)
8	Annapolis Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is... , Maryland Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...	La Rochelle La Rochelle La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	Toshiba	Paul Standbridge (NZ)
9	La Rochelle, France	Southampton, England	Merit Cup	Grant Dalton (NZ)