SAILING:The entry list reads like a 'who's who' of trans-oceanic racing. Not surprisingly, the majority hail from France who dominate this rare breed and it its among this group of 18 sailors that Ireland's Damian Foxall sits as one of the ablest and most respected professional sailors in the world.
On Sunday afternoon, this group begin the Barcelona World Race which is a new non-stop, double-handed circumnavigation that takes place in the remotest regions of the planet and mostly beyond easy help should disaster strike.
Foxall joins Frenchman Jean-Pierre Dick as co-skipper on Paprec Virbac, a latest generation Open 60-footer that was launched in February this year and is considered state-of-the-art as far as technology for these ocean greyhounds is concerned.
Building on the 2005/06 Volvo Ocean Race that saw a world monohull 24-hour speed sailing record of 563-miles set by the young crew on ABN AMRO Two, expectations are high that despite racing short-handed, the Open 60s will produce a new time thanks to their canting keels and, in the case of Foxall and Dick, a unique trim-tab system.
But new technology comes at a price and while their Farr-designed boat has potentially world-beating features, each time a round the world race starts a certain risk attaches to the newest less-proven boats. Keel and mast failures are not just commonplace but almost a certainty for some of the boats.
"The boat was built in Tauranga, New Zealand and we did half a round the world getting it back so we've validated a lot of the innovation," Foxall told The Irish Times yesterday.
The new trim tabs are the biggest ever tried but Foxall admits that the recent dismastings of Pindar and Artemis are a source of concern as all use deck-stepped wing masts though of a different design to Paprec Virbac's.
Despite the risks, the Barcelona World Race is a calculated career development for the Kerryman who has six circumnavigations to his credit.
Dick describes Foxall in glowing terms: "Damian is skilled and versatile in many areas and could easily be the skipper of the boat on his own. He's both intuitive and rational, and we both have the desire to perform well in common."
Complementary talents will be needed as the pair work a three-on, three-off watch system, meeting twice a day to discuss tactics as they alternate between rest below and getting the best out of the boat on deck.
Foxall's role also involves the vital task of weather and routing and will spend two hours a day in the nav station receiving and interpreting weather data.
But this round the world will be under different circumstances than his previous ventures as Foxall now has a young son to consider as well.
"Fundamentally, I don't think it's going to change things very much," he says. "Between JP and myself, we'll be looking after each other and I'll be thinking of my son and my wife and putting on my harness earlier than normal - I'll be more careful for sure."
Nevertheless, Foxall stresses that ocean racing is not a question of being a hell-raising adrenaline junky. "We're out there to race and to win and to do that we have to actually finish."
Damian Foxall's Barcelona World Race Log will appear occasionally in The Irish Times.
branigan@indigo.ie
