Most of the BT Global Challenge crews have become local stars through a radio service set up specially for the race.

A company called Airwaves has handled the 24-hour radio service for BT since the race moved into the final stage of preparation last August - and is now setting up Global Challenge Radio to cover the final events at Southampton.

Hundreds of hours of crew interviews and race news have been broadcast by BBC and independent regional radio stations around Britain and by stations in such countries as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Also, national stations including Classic FM have carried BT's radio news about the race.

Radio stations who cannot cover the events themselves ask for the interviews or live news commentary, or accept them when offered.

Airwaves is run by Steve Ancsell, himself a yacht racer who once came close to being selected for Britain's Olympic sailing team, and partner Dick Johnson, for 11 years editor of Yachting World. They have a team of sometimes, up to seven.

Radio journalists Steve and Dick have carried out remote interviews live with skippers and crew who have just that minute finished a leg of the race. They use standard ISDN lines with special audio processing equipment which enable remote interviews to sound as though they were done in a studio.

"When the sailors arrive, they seem to be glad to talk to anyone who isn't a member of the crew for a change," said Steve, a veteran of Whitbread Round the World races, Wimbledon and Cowes Week coverage.

"Almost all the people we interviewed spoke of how the race was something they had dreamt about doing, something they needed to do to get away from normal life. In the case of Time & Tide, the crew were determined to show they were just as able-bodied as the crew on other boats."

Sunspots have been Airwaves' biggest technical problem, according to Steve. "Apparently, sunspots cause severe atmospheric interference about once every 11 years," he said, "and the race just happened to coincide with one of those. This has caused problems with traditional ship to shore communications."

In addition, because of the nature of ship to shore calls, which have to be booked in advance, they have on occasions had to wait around day and night for return calls.

Time differences have added an extra difficulty for Steve and Dick. Fleet arrivals at ports have usually occurred late at night.

Steve, who is also chairman of the Yachting Journalists' Association, said: "That has meant having to go out to the office in my garden, where I have a studio, in my dressing gown and carpet slippers in the middle of the night."

Keith Martin