Brit showdown round Gotland

Neal McDonald in Ericsson, the 64ft ex-Assa Abloy VO60 versus Alex Thomson's Open 60 Hugo Boss

Two significant British entry are competing in the Eurocard Gotland Rundt this year in Alex Thomson's Open 60 Hugo Boss and the Ericsson Volvo Ocean Race team aboard Atlant's former Assa Abloy VO60.

"If there is some breeze we will have some fun," said Thomson who's Hugo Boss is competing in the ORC Grand Open Class. Thomson was still grinning when he went on to admit, "but if there is little wind, we will stick to the sea like glue."

The Eurocard Gotland Runt is the first of a series of races that Thomson will tackle this year. "It’s part of our European Tour," he explained, "we are sailing in Holland, Kiel, Monaco, Cannes and Palma". Scattered within the tour are other major races, like the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Sardinia. He will then progress to the Transat Jacques Vabre in October.

His ultimate plans for this boat include the singlehanded round the world race, 5 Oceans, before he builds a new boat for the 2008 Vendee Globe. As yet, Thomson has not chosen designer or builder for this new boat, but says "I am asking questions."

How well he does in the Eurocard Gotland Runt will depend on the strength of the wind, and for him, the harder the better. "This boat has a canting keel, water ballast and a rotating wing mast - all the go-fasts!"

Fresh from the launch of the Volvo Ocean 70 that bears the sponsor’s name, Ericsson skipper, Neal McDonald, together with navigator, Steve Hayles, arrived here midday to take charge of the Volvo Ocean 60, Ericsson that they will race in the Eurocard Gotland Runt on Sunday.

"It’s a boat I know well," said McDonald, "I have raced it around the world, so a 432 miler should be something of a doddle." He was almost dismissive of the challenge, but admitted that he enjoyed the race in which he competed last year. This time, he co-skippers Ericsson with Thomas Blixt.

But his mind was clearly on his new 70 footer that went into the river at Lymington on Britain’s South Coast on Thursday. "Jason [Carrington] has made a perfect job of building the boat at Green Marine," he said. "She will be the lightest hull in the race and that will count for a great deal."

In the smaller, older Ericsson, McDonald should have a fine battle with Alex Thomson’s Hugo Boss. The two very different 60 foot race boats are designed to be a world apart in everything apart from waterline length; different technologies and different approaches to sailing round the world with very different crews, the Volvo 60 with 12, the Open 60 for one man alone.