George Skuodas talks to madforsailing

The ex-city boy gives up the booze and ciggies for an America's Cup life of bench presses and sit-ups

George Skuodas, the latest recruit to GBR Challenge, has been telling madforsailing why he gave up a lucrative career as a headhunter in the city.

Skuodas, a six-and-a-half-foot man mountain, spent eight years as a professional sailor, culminating in crewing for the late Glyn Charles in a Star at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996. "I decided it was time to get a proper job and that's when I went to work in headhunting in the city," he said. "People said I wouldn't last a year before I went back into sailing, so I think I've proved I can stick at something when I put my mind to it."

The big Scot said he had spent some weeks ruminating over whether to leave his lucrative career, but admitted, as he stood in the GBR base in Cowes: "Now I'm here I can't believe it took me so long to make up my mind."

Although at this early stage no-one's job is set in stone, Skuodas is most likely to find himself doing mast on the IACC boats, as this is a position where there are few obvious candidates. He has had limited experience of these monster boats, having competed in the 1997 Road to the America's Cup regatta in Auckland. "The challenge of these boats is the co-ordination of 17 people to get them working in harmony. It is like a big choreographed dance.

"Luckily for that regatta we had Chris Mason who sat us down for a morning in the classroom and talked us through all the manoeuvres piece by piece. In my job, there will be no moment to rest. When I'm not up at the mast, I'll be back on the grinders - upwind and downwind. The need for fitness is huge, you can't just be fit enough for this job."

Skuodas knows that he has an uphill struggle to be ready for this demanding job. "You've got to be fit and strong for this job, and after four years in the city I'm neither," he said. "I've said goodbye to some dear friends in London - Marlboro and Martini - but I know they'll be waiting for me when I finish this job."