Cooking up the Plan: MOD70 showdown in Mount Gay Round Barbados Race

'Ms.Barbados' Team Concise © Helena Darvelid

The MOD 70 showdown between Tony Lawson's Team Concise racing Ms Barbados, and Lloyd Thornburg's Phaedo3, has all the makings of an epic race. Having spent the last three days in the Ms Barbados 'training camp', you can feel the tension building. Team Concise are based at the luxurious Apes Hill Club, Barbados but the team have had no time to enjoy the world class Golf, Polo and Tennis facilities. By race day, Ms. Barbados will have completed four practice sessions around Barbados, methodically dissecting the course.

"It's going to be a tactical race." confirmed Team Concise's Paul Larsen, the 65 knot Sailrocket pilot, barely able to hide his excitement. "Phaedo have had over a year more time with their boat, but we have home advantage and have been studying the course for days. We have stepped up to the challenge. This is likely to be a very close race, there is no doubt that Phaedo is quick but we have a few tricks learnt from out training, and if you ask me, it is all going to go to the wire – one gust could sort out the winner. Blasting along, side by side at over 30 knots of boat speed - it is going to be all on!"

Ms Barbados Vs Phaedo3 : all the makings of a giant-killing FA Cup tie

Phaedo3 have the budget for a brand new set of raw 3Di Sails and a highly experienced crew including; Brian Thompson (Jules Verne winner and a veteran of 300,000 multihull miles) and Robert Greenhalgh (Extreme40, Moth and 18ft Skiff champions as well as a Volvo Ocean Race winner). However, the 'premier league' sailors only arrived in Barbados two days before the race.

Team Concise racing as Ms.Barbados is skippered by 27 year old, Ned Collier Wakefield with under 7000 miles experience in multihulls and the crew include some raw young talent such as Jackson Boutell, rookie for the last Solitaire du Figaro and Volvo Ocean Race. It was Jackson's birthday last night, Tony Lawson lit the barbecue and cooked for the entire squad and Tony is a dab hand at outdoor cuisine. In 1966, he arrived in Barbados in an old wooden trading ship, he didn't have a penny but started an open air restaurant in Grenada, his first enterprise on the way to becoming a property and business entrepreneur.

Jackson Boutell blowing out his birthday candles (l-r) John Hamilton, Jonny Malbon, Martin Watts, Rob Gullen, Tom Dawson, Geoff Mearing, Tony Lawson, Wouter Verbraak, Will Semken, Ned Collier Wakefield, Helena Darvelid - photo © Paul Larsen / Team Concise

Tony Lawson's Team Concise gives young sailors an incredible opportunity to climbing the ladder of professional sailing. This Thursday, the young team members have their chance in the Mount Gay Round Barbados Race – Team Concise is determined to take it.

www.teamconcise.com