Torresen Sailing Site:  Since most of your around the world experience is west-about, what is the primary difference you see in racing around the world east-about?

I think the most obvious difference is that the boats for each challenge are very different. The boat in which I have completed three west-about circumnavigations, two fully crewed races and one solo record , the 67ft one design BT Global Challenge yacht Group 4 was a classical design. For the Around Alone Race I will be sailing a very different yacht, a   Finot/Conq designed Open 60 Team Group 4 and it is getting to know this yacht that will be the single biggest difference for me.

In the pure sailing sense the Atlantic legs are similar in regardless of the direction you sail it is in the Southern Ocean that the difference in the two races is most profound. Racing around the world west-about is a high percentage of close reaching conditions whereas racing east-about is a similar percentage of broad reaching and running conditions - I expect some wild sailing as the new boat should be capable at surfing at speeds in excess of 30kts.

The tactics for both events remain valid with the biggest single difference being the rate of change as you pass through the weather systems. Sailing west one sails into the on coming weather systems, the faster you go the quicker the rate of change in the weather from system to system. On the Challenge race we often could encounter three different weather systems in two days. Sailing east in such a fast yacht will allow me to pick up and retain weather for longer periods, however a mistake in weather routing would cost dearly as you would need to wait longer to get back into the flow.

Torresen Sailing Site:  You have done both single-handed and crewed circumnavigations, do you have a preference ?

  I would say I prefer to sail with a crew but get immense satisfaction from sailing solo.

Torresen Sailing Site:  How will you adapt from the more stable and traditional Group 4 challenge boat to the new Open 60 you will sail in Around Alone ?

I'll need to adapt fast and the only way is to get some miles in the new boat under my belt. However prior to the BT Challenge I built and owned the 40ft trimaran Spirit of England and I have raced in the CSTAR in a 900kg 30 ft tri, as well as campaigning a Mumm 36 in the 1995 Admirals Cup - amongst other things - so light, fast boats are not completely alien to me.

Torresen Sailing Site:  With the boat launching in April, how much time will you have to tune and develop the boat ?

We have eight weeks before the start of the Atlantic Alone, this will be an intensive learning period with a great deal of sailing but even after this event we intend to continue to tune and develop until we have done the best we can do for the Around Alone.

Torresen Sailing Site:  Who do you feel your toughest competition will be ?

Everyone!!!