A little over two weeks from the suspension of racing of Team Russia Dutch Navigator Wouter Verbraak is on a plane to Cape Town to join the American Maxi team Rambler for the Cape Town - Salvador race. This ocean race classic is held every three years and sees the fleet take on the South Atlantic. A battle of the giants is about to take place  with both the English 100ft Leopard and 90ft Rambler getting ready for the start on the 10th of January.

Says Wouter: "We have sailed against Leopard before, and there is no  doubt she is a very powerful boat with good crew and solid  preparation. We will have to give it our very best to beat her. Our  team on Rambler has seen quite some battle, and is hungry, so it will  be a good fight."

Having sailed with the team in both 2008 and 2007 Wouter is no  stranger to gang on Rambler:

"As usual preparation, teamwork and leadership are crucial. Our owner George David is providing us with a great platform to get the most out  of all of us, and I am looking forward to sailing with the team a lot."

The 100ft maxi Leopard is the clear favourite for line honours, but  with its narrow design the 10ft smaller Rambler might be nipping at  Leopards heals especially when negotiating the lighter winds around  the St Helena high pressure system. The high pressure system is  notoriously unpredictable in its track, and has proven crucial to the 

race outcome in previous races.

"With Peter Isler, George and myself, we will be working hard on our  race strategy. We have all the latest technology in place to follow  the weather evolution and try to anticipate the movement of the St  Helena high. A successful strategy consists of 30% strategy making and  70% strategy execution. Clear and concise communication is key, so we  will be working hard on giving the guys on deck a good picture of what 

we are trying to achieve. What are the goals? What are the boundaries  within which we can try to get the boat to go as fast as possible?"

The race is estimated to take 8-12 days depending on the weather  conditions. Through out the race Wouter will keep us up to date with  the latest thinking and challenges on the Rambler.