The trimaran form

Bob Fisher looks at the Nokia Oops Cup line-up competing in tomorrow's Eurocard Gotland Runt

The Peyron brothers, Bruno and Loick, who between them have re-written the text books off offshore multihull racing, arrived here from France to compete in the Eurocard Gotland Runt, the eighth leg of the Nokia Oops Cup 2005.

Bruno regularly skippers the Stena Sovcomflot Sailing Team trimaran together with Steve Ravussin, but will be separated from his navigator from the recent round the world record breaking passage on Orange 2, Roger Nilson, who remains ashore nursing a damaged shoulder; the injury occurring when the 60ft trimaran nose-dived at over 30 knots.

Stena Sovcomflot (ex- Banque Populaire) is current points leader, after seven races, in the Nokia Oops Cup. The Russian-Swedish alliance will also include Pierre Pennec, as tactician, in the crew.

Loick Peyron, whose 60ft trimaran track record includes two OSTAR win, joins the ebullient Magnus Olsson on Team Nokia. The Frenchman can be guaranteed a smile on board the former Biscuits La Trinitaine, now fourth equal on points at this stage of the Oops Cup. It led Magnus to observe, with his permanent smile unmoved "I’m only fifth, no one says “hello,” don’t pick on me, we have to win the Gotland Runt." And with that he subsided into laughter.

Knut Frostad, who won the race last year with Team Academy (formerly Loick Peyron's Fujicolor) at a record average speed of 13.66 knots, said: "We hope to do a good Gotland Runt, but we are sure that our record will stay." He had obviously read the weather forecasts that predict not more than five knots of wind tomorrow. Team Academy currently lies second on points, five down on Stena Sovcomflot.

Klabbe Nylof, who has Matthew Humphries as his navigator/tactician on HiQ (ex- Groupama) is third so far and keen to take this race. He said: "Our aim is to win the Oops Cup 2005, including the Gotland Runt. We have done it before and we are back with a really good boat."

Olympic champion in the 49er class in Sydney, Thomas Johanson of Finland, is new to this class with Team Tietoenator (ex- Banque Covefi), but believes he has taken the right change at the right time in his sailing career after three involvements in the Olympic Games.

New to the game also is Roman Paszke of Poland but sailing the newest boat in the fleet - Jean le Cam's Bonduelle, but with Zbigniew Gutkowski as helmsman and Adam Skomski as skipper, there is a decided move on the part of this Polish team to learn this year and climb the ladder to success.