Vendée Globe participant Conrad Colman dropped us a line about his current progress and preparation for the big race. (Image credit: Stan Thuret.)

I'm back in the boatyard again, covered in carbon dust rather than salt spray as preparation for the Vendée Globe continues full speed. The success of any expedition on the water, be it a lap of the bay on the sunny afternoon or a lap of the planet, rests on preparation, planning and...

Due to their length and complexity, ocean races are rarely won by a single stroke of genius from the tactician or a magic sail, but rather by a continual search for a tenth of a knot and a lack of breakages. While I might not be chasing victory in this edition of the race the following French ocean racing maxim still holds true: "Races are won in the boatyard and lost at sea". No pressure then...

With now only 100 days until the big departure, I am building on the experience gained my from two express transats earlier this year. In 2009 I spent all year preparing my 6.50 metre Mini Transat boat to sail my first solo transat and now I knocked out two before June as mere training runs for the big show at end of the year. I am now using memories from those miles to develop the boat for the Southern Ocean and to maintain motivation when I see my competitors (with bigger teams, budgets and long term projects) heading out for training sails or putting their feet up on holiday.

A huge part of being able to perform for a long time at sea is the ability to stay comfortable when all hell is breaking lose. The IMOCA 60s that we race in the Vendée Globe are immensely powerful machines that are brutal to sail as almost as much water passes over the deck as under hull when pushing hard. The new generation of boats have walled in patios that allow the skipper to stand watch, trim and even drive from under the cover of bulletproof lexan plastic. I have an older boat and thus no such luxuries, but I have confidence in my Gill gear. I have done six transats and two races around the world while wearing Gill OC1 Racer smock tops and OC1 Racer Trousers, and I have the confidence to head out on another lap knowing that I'll be able to stay warm and dry in the most challenging conditions, even without a jet fighter bubble over my head.