SAILING: Mike Wilson talks to Kerry yachtsman Damian Foxall who is on standby in northwestern France on Ellen MacArthur's Kingfisher 2 waiting for ideal weather to launch an assault on the 10-year-old Jules Verne non-stopround-the-world record."Everyone has the highest regard for Ellen and everything she hasachieved, but for me, and it is something that is often overlooked, EllenMacArthur really is the hardest working sailor I have ever come acr

Making his second circumnavigation of the earth in under a year, 33-year-old Killarney sailor Damian Foxall has swapped the single hull of the 60ft Volvo Ocean Race-yacht Tyco for the massive 33-metre (110ft) catamaran Kingfisher 2 as part of Britain's Ellen MacArthur's world-class team which will attempt to write their name into the annals of round-the-world records with their imminent assault on the decade-long record for non-stop circumnavigation.

Foxall was signed-up by MacArthur for the Jules Verne record attempt because of his multi-hull experience and the Kerryman is relishing the challenge, and has sailed with her on several occasions in the past.

"Quite a few of the team, which is one of the strongest ever assembled for such a project are monohull specialists, and the "ride" on a multi-hull is quite different, much less predictable and it does take a bit of getting used to," he says. "But really, the strength of the team is the combination of experiences and the fact that we are a close-knit unit in which everyone gets on exceptionally well, which is vital for a project of this nature."

Foxall had planned to take a few months off following the disappointing finish made by Tyco in the Volvo Ocean Race (the Florida-based team finished last on the final leg but did have five podium finishes out of nine legs) but has been very much in demand throughout the second half of 2002.

"The planned break just never happened," explained Foxall, adding, "I did a lot of single and double-handed catamaran and trimaran racing in the Formula 18 and Tornado classes and managed 32nd out of 60 in the Tornado World Championships at Martha's Vineyard in the US, not bad for a debut effort."

The Kerryman explained how the highly-prized place on MacArthur's Kingfisher 2 came about. "I've done a few projects for Offshore Challenges, Ellen's company, and sailed with her earlier this year, and have sailed with quite a few of the other crew-members, including Nick Moloney, from Australia out of Ireland, so we kept in touch. I'm not sure if I was an applicant or a supplicant really, somewhere in-between I suppose."

Asked what odds he would put on Kingfisher 2 breaking Frenchman Bruno Peyron's 1993 Jules Verne record of 64 days, eight hours and 37 minutes on Orange, the first under the 80-day milestone, Foxall is optimistic but realistic.

"Look, we have the boat to do it, and the crew, but there are so many variables, such as weather, breakages, injury, and, while we can control the weather we set off by selecting a favourable weather window, it's in the lap of the gods after that, and the balance between pushing the boat to the limit, but not beyond, is vital."

Ironically, Kingfisher 2 is the same hull as record-holder Orange (three of the Kingfisher 2 crew also sailed in the 1993 record-breaking outfit) in a previous incarnation, but with €250,000 worth of modifications, including a new 39-metre (128ft) high-tensile carbon-fibre mast and a plethora of computer and other high-tech equipment, the similarities between the two end there.

Chasing a record poses different challenges to match racing, according to Foxall. "Sailing against the clock is quite different to sailing against other yachts, and match racing tactics inevitably slow things down, although, on the downside, actual reference points such as the rest of the fleet are absent, so imaginary waypoints have to be established, which can be tricky.

"Unlike the Volvo Ocean Race mono-hulls, which thrive on 30-40 knot winds, a catamaran really needs lighter but more consistent winds of 20-30 knots, and big seas put an enormous strain on multi-hulls, so we'll be hoping for brisk, as opposed to fierce, sailing conditions all the way round."

The living and working conditions on board Kingfisher 2 will be more spacious and marginally more comfortable than on Tyco.

"The catamaran does have more space and you tend to have the luxury of your own bunk, and they tend to be drier than the mono-hulls, but there is still no comparison whatsoever between these and a cruising cat. It really is a fairly Spartan existence," explains Foxall.

Foxall has no worries working for a female boss, saying of MacArthur: "Everyone has the highest regard for Ellen and everything she has achieved, but for me, and it is something that is often overlooked, Ellen MacArthur really is the hardest working sailor I have ever come across, both on and offshore, and she leads from the front, but as part of, as opposed to, aloof from the rest of the crew."

Of Foxall, MacArthur says: "Damian and I have sailed together in the past, and we get on well, which is important on a project like the Jules Verne, but most of all he has a fantastic range of experience, and on multi-hulls, there are few better."

Foxall is not the only Irish influence on the Kingfisher 2 project; Dubliner Johnny Mordant is part of the shore crew.

Looking ahead to April when the Jules Verne record will have been broken, or not as the case may be, Foxall is already looking ahead to the next Volvo Ocean Race in 2005-06, details or which are due to be announced in Auckland on February 10th when Kingfisher 2 should be heading through the Southern Ocean in that direction.

"I'd love to do the Volvo again; we were very consistent on Tyco, without ever challenging the top yachts, but it is the premier crewed ocean race, and to be part of it again is my main mid-term objective," he says, adding, "and to have an Irish yacht would be amazing, but it would take a huge commitment by both the public and private sectors to pull a syndicate together.

"We have more than half a 12-man crew available from Ireland," he explains, adding, "aside of myself, there is Noel Drennan, Gordon Maguire, Justin Slattery, Ian Moore, Johnny Mordant, Johnny Smullen and John Callaghan, and of course Killian Bushe built the winning yacht, Illbruck Challenge, last time, so there will never be a better opportunity."

In between times, the self-effacing Kerryman plans to concentrate on single and double-handed multi-hull racing, and is keen to establish his Olympic credentials, if not for Athens in 2004, then certainly for Beijing 2008.

"Irish sailing in recent years has come on leaps and bounds, both in offshore and Olympic classes," says Foxall, predicting, "The development programmes in place will take us forward for 2004, and I'd very much like to get a campaign going for 2008, with the support of the Irish Sailing Federation, and of course, corporate Ireland.

"There are lots of very good companies in Ireland and with Irish connections around the world," he says, adding, "but there are a lot of sports competing for finite resources right now, but, with the spirit of adventure, the 'clean' image of sailing and its environmental implications, together with greatly improved television techniques to cover the sport, sailing can compete with the best of them to get its share of the cake."

At the age of 33, Foxall has no plans to settle down, enjoying the bachelor life of a professional yachtsman, but does concede there are sacrifices to be made.

"You are constantly on the move, and I have only managed eight days back in Ireland in the past year, and family life is difficult, but, as you get a strong track record behind you, there is a good living to be made, albeit nothing on the Beckham or the Williams sisters scale," he jokes.

"You are, to an extent, only as good as your last project, andthere are failures along the way, like my PlayStation 2 project in 2001, but it is still better than a real job," jokes Foxall.

He was part of the Irish Jameson 2 Admiral's Cup team that finished third overall in 1995 and he was "deeply disappointed" at the recent cancellation of the event planned for Ireland later this year, and is intrigued how another island nation such as New Zealand, with an almost identical population to Ireland, can produce so many world-class sailors and support what is a multi-national yachting "industry".

"Climate I suppose is a factor, but it goes way beyond that," opines Foxall. "It is a lifestyle thing, where almost everyone in New Zealand sails, although we are losing the upper-class "gin and tonic" image that Irish sailing had for many years.

"Big business backs New Zealand sailing right up to the hilt, and Kiwis have a mindset of sailing to win, as opposed to sailing for leisure and pleasure, but there are also fewer other options out there such as the Gaelic sports, horse-racing, etc., but we are getting there, generation by generation."

Such ethereal notions are, however, for the next few months at least firmly at the back of his sharp mind; right now, there is only one thing capturing Damian Foxall's attention, and that is record breaking and becoming the first Irishman to hold part of the coveted Jules Verne world record.