IN the absence of a British entry in the Volvo Ocean Race starting from Southampton in two weeks' time, race watchers will be forced to spread their attentions across the fleet to follow the fortunes of Hampshire's top yachtsmen and women.

It is the first time in the 28 year history of the event, known previously known as the Whitbread Round the World Race, that Britain has not been represented.

But despite that, nine of Lawrie Smith's Hamble-based crew who competed on the UK's Silk Cut in the 1997-98 have been selected for other syndicates.

Jez Fanstone, 35, was a key member of Smith's campaign but returns in 2001-2002 to lead a crew for the first time in Team News Corporation, backed by Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

Though funded and organised from Australia, Fanstone has spent most of the time in New Zealand overseeing the build of their new VOR 60. This he has done in conjunction with Ross Field, skipper of the 1993/4 Whitbread 60 winner Yamaha, and his former Silk Cut colleague Gordon Maguire, who will helm on selected legs.

Four other members of Smith's team, which came a frustrating fifth in the last race after being dismasted, are racing on Bermudan based Team Tyco, one of the favourites to win the 2001-2002 event, funded by Dennis Koslowki, the business tycoon who owns J-class yacht Endeavour.

They include watch captain Tim Powell, Gerry Mitchell, the trimmer and sailmaker from Hamble who raced on Dolphin and Youth in the 1993-94 race, and French bowman Jan Dekker.

"I've been determined to win it every time I've done it," said Powell, from Netley Abbey.

"It's one of the races that I would love to win. Hopefully, with this campaign, we'll get to do that."

Tyco navigator is 28-year-old Steve Hayles, who started the last race as navigator on Silk Cut but resigned half way through the race after suffering a crisis of confidence during the fourth leg from Sydney to Auckland. Isle of Wight's Guy Salter, brother of British America's Cup tactician Jules Salter, takes the bow to make Team Tyco the most interesting of the fleet for Hampshire followers.

Jason Carrington, another member of Smith's crew on Silk Cut has been directing building operations of Assa Abloy's VOR60s at Green Marine in Lymington and joins as crew. While Neal McDonald, husband of Amer Sports Too skipper Lisa, was a recent addition to the Swedish crew, after his surprise resignation from Britain's America's Cup Challenge last month.

Lisa McDonald, from Hamble, was the last minute selection of Kiwi skipper Grant Dalton to lead an all-female crew in the second of the Nautor Challenge boats and has had just three months to put together her team and prepare for the ten month race that starts on September 23 from Ocean Village.

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