Apart from the great achievements of our boxers and of course Padraig Harrington, we really haven't had too much to smile about in terms of Irish sporting honours. Our sailors, however, are looking to change all that.

On October 11, Ireland's impressive 70ft sailing vessel Green Dragon will begin its onslaught on the world's waterways in the Volvo World Ocean Race, widely renowned as the most prestigious and gruelling of sailing challenges.

For the uninitiated, it involves nine months of punishing competitive sailing in primitive conditions through some of the world's most uninviting environments -- cramped conditions, devastating cold (-5°C), soaring heat (50°C) and where freeze-dried food is the only provision. Luxuries don't exist. Rest will be at a bare minimum. The crew will work on a rota of fours hours sailing, four working below deck or sleeping. At best, they will get 90 minutes sleep every eight hours.

The race starts in Alicante and will sail to Cape Town, Kochi, Singapore, Qingdao, Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Gothenburg, Stockholm and will finish in St Petersburg on June 30, 2009 having covered 37,000 nautical miles.

Green Dragon's 11-man crew contains some of the world's leading ocean sailors, including Ireland's own Damian Foxall, who won the Barcelona Round the World Race earlier this year, and Justin Slattery, who won the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race. The skipper is one Ian Walker, esteemed athlete and British Olympian.

"The biggest thing for me is the physical challenge: having to lug the sails around, trimming (adjusting the sails based upon the apparent wind speed). It will take its toll on people ... Everyone has done their own preparation. If I am to be honest, we've not done as much as we would have liked, mainly because the team has only got together in the past two months. There is a limit to what you can do and there aren't enough hours in the day. So, we have concentrated on injury prevention, as much as anything," admits Walker.

None the less, there are high expectations for Green Dragon. The skipper is, however, reluctant to forecast the boat's chances of victory. "There's really no way of knowing until we line up with other boats. My feeling is that each boat will probably have its own best conditions. One boat might be better in the light or another better down wind. You just have to hope that over the average of the conditions, we have a good package. Obviously, our primary focus is on safety, but after that, it's all about trying to be competitive and have the fastest boat."

In terms of scoring, the Volvo Race is a bit like a Formula One Grand Prix. Roughly speaking, half of the available points are awarded for leg wins (equal points for each leg irrespective of length). A quarter is designated for in-port racing, while the other quarter goes towards reaching various "Gates" (landmarks along some of the longer legs).

"I've just been sitting in the classroom doing weather briefings and I have to say the stand-out leg for me is from Singapore to Qingdao -- sailing 3,000 miles dead into Siberian winds in average temperatures of 0°C. It's going to be absolutely freezing and incessant uphill sailing. Then there's also the leg from China to Rio, 12,500 miles -- which could be 40 days at sea going from snow in the north to ice in the south," explains Walker.

Physical gauntlet aside, being away from loved ones for the best part of a year must take its toll emotionally? "We're so busy. We have our routine. You have the guys around you. Yes, you'll have your highs and lows, but you have a full focus the whole time. It's much harder for the wives and girlfriends at home. We're going to try and get all the partners to Singapore for Christmas. Knowing my wife, she'll come to all the nice stopovers, like Cape Town, Rio and, of course, Galway."

Speaking of which, if you have already made plans for the June Bank Holiday weekend, cancel them: because Galway will be the place to be. The City of the Tribes will be hosting the Volvo Ocean Race fleet and massive celebrations are planned. "If we win the leg from Boston to Galway, we're expecting the whole of Ireland to turn up", says Walker sanguinely, adding, "The big thing for us is to try and get Ireland behind the team."

The Volvo Ocean Race which arrives on Irish shores on May 23 hopes to attract more than 140,000 people and generate €43m into the local economy and, in doing so, will potentially make for the biggest sporting event in Ireland since the Ryder Cup. Let's hope much like the K Club two years ago, we're given something to celebrate.

www.volvooceanrace.org

- Andrea Byrne