Meet Lisa McDonald - part 2

EF Education was a base from which the Nautor Challenge team can learn

Of Nautor Challenge's two boats one is a design by German Frers' Jnr, the other by Farr Yacht Design. The former was launched last weekend and is currently taking part in the Giraglia Rolex Cup with Dalton at the helm, while the latter will not be finished until mid-July, just two months prior to the start. Lisa says it will not be until after the launch of the second boat that Grant will allocate the boats.

Dalton will presumably choose the faster boat for himself, but will he opt for the unknown quality of the Frers design or the more familiar Farr? He has had more time to sail and develop the former, but he will have greater affinity with the Farr design having sailed boats from the Annapolis-based design house in the last three races.

'Are they capable of winning?' is the current question on everybody's lips and Lisa is determined to be competitive. "The teams that are here now are all very tough to go up against but I hope that we will be a tough competitor for them. It's a long race, there are lots of legs and all the legs are a bit different and different people are going to rise and shine. There is definitely plenty of opportunity."

For Lisa the clock is ticking. She plans to assemble her team in the Mediterranean by mid-July. By 2 September both crews have to be in Portsmouth, but before then they will have to sail their 2,000 mile qualifier and get to know the boat. In the meantime Lisa has to ensure that her team are fully prepared for when they arrive in France. "There's an awful lot of organising to do before we get to that stage, but I'm very excited."