As UK skipper Conrad Humphreys undertakes his final preparations for the Route du Rhum, he's anticipating a tough and busy week ahead as he focuses on achieving his best in the greatest trans-Atlantic yacht race in history.

There are 60 boats currently lying in the Basin in St. Malo, representing eight nations and competing in four classes. "There's the most incredible atmosphere here with crowds already standing seven-deep on the pontoons and there's still a week to go," says Conrad.

Next Saturday (9th November), he will be on the start line sailing the Open 40 'Syllogic' in Class 3, the smallest class in the fleet and arguably facing the most difficult passage to Guadeloupe. However Conrad's feeling fairly confident: "We have a fast boat and, I hope, a good chance of scalping a few of the more fancied larger boats."

His strategy for the race is to sail close to the Rhumbline and skirt the high pressure close to the Azores. The first few days will take him across Biscay and out into the north Atlantic and he's expecting it to be pretty tough looking at the intensity of this season's early autumn storms.

Over the past few months, Conrad has been making huge demands on himself and it has not just been pulling this project together. He has also been successfully sharing his BT Global Challenge leadership and team development skills with some of the largest corporations in the world.