12m owner Don Woods

madforsailing look at one of yachting's most colourful characters, Don Wood, owner of Italia

Italia was built in 1985 for the 1987 America's Cup and was used in Perth as a tune up boat. The plan was to build Italia II for the actual Cup but this boat sank so the team used Italia. Since then she has been optimized for racing in France and had the Australia II-style winglets taken off her keel and was lightened.

In the build up to the America's Cup Jubilee Don has been racing her alongside the other British 12s, Richard Matthew's Crusader and Irvin Laidlaw's Ecosse. Former America's Cup helm and match racing guru Chris Law will be steering Italia for the Jubilee and will have Chris' chief trimmer 'Dobs' on board too. They will be sailing with the fleet of 37 12 metres - the largest fleet of this type of boat ever to race even when it was used as the America's Cup boat.

Don never fails to have innovative ideas when it come to business or sailing. His latest project is to circumnavigate the globe using solar power. Two years ago he went back to his Tornado roots and worked with Southampton University looking at reusable energy. They built a 20ft solar powered catamaran and launched her at Berthon Marina in Lymington. She went so well that Don took her straight out of the harbor and over to Yarmouth making her the first solar powered vessel to sail across the Solent. Don has now designed a 120ft catamaran that could sail around the world and go via the Suez and Panama canals. All he needs now is a sponsor.

Don describes sailing as 'war without casualties. In order to win the battle you need plenty of ammunition and a cunning plan'. Watch out for his cunning plan next week as he has promised some top secret and interesting tactics.