Finnish defender

After winning the Sydney-Hobart on line honours last year, Ludde Ingvall is back to defend this title reports James Boyd

Above: Ludde Ingvall, below on Nicorette

As it is Nicorette is still optimised for the heavy upwind conditions they are likely to experience in the Sydney-Hobart race, after work was carried out to her prior to the last race. Her rating is now spot on 1. 6 under IRC - the maximum allowed for the Hobart.

Although currently in her 'heavy configuration', Ingvall says that they can take 4 tonnes out of the boat for the Cape Town to Rio race and can alter their rating between 1,560 and 1,640 under IRC. Otherwise when up against larger boats they can 'turbo' Nicorette by for example fitting over length spinnaker poles.

Last year, Ingvall says he felt they sailed well below their potential. "We were panicing, we changed too much too late. This time we just want to get everything working."

Although Ingvall now lives in Sydney and his children go to school there, he says he is back this year so that Nicorette can defend her title. "We want to win it again or lose it like a man. The competition wants to beat you and it's not sportsmanship not to come back." If Nicorette won the Sydney-Hobart race again she would be the first to do so back to back since 1983.

Aside from trying to make people give up smoking through use of his sponsor's product, Ingvall says that he likes to see his boat being used as a stepping stone for people to further their career in yacht racing. It is impressive to note 23 crew members currently taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race have at some stage sailed with Ingvall on one of his Nicorette yachts. "That makes me feel very good. I feel very proud of that," he says. "We may have been like Peter Blake and Harold Cudmore were for me."

Aside from a number of talented young hopefuls sailing on board this year will be navigator Adrienne Cahalan and America's Cup and match racing star Gavin Brady who will be bringing along some of his buddies from the Prada team.

The other feel good factor about the Nicorette campaign is the work they carry out for charity. A few days prior to our meeting Indvall had run an auction from the boat in aid of the Sydney Children's Hospital. They raised Aus$60,000 (roughly £25,000) including the sale of one of Nicorette's wheels for Aus$10,000. During this year's European tour they raised US$184,000 for various children's charities in Europe. His next plan is to cover one of Nicorette's spinnakers with paid-for signatures.

Personally Ingvall runs the boat like a charity and says he hasn't taken a salary from the project for the last 10 years. He jokes that he could even apply for amateur status.