Baby powder for Hobart

Champion butterfly swimmer Geoff "Skippy" Huegill is stocking up on baby powder in an attempt to escape the dreaded "gunwale bum" when he sails aboard Sean Langman's Investec Loyal in this year's Rolex Sydney-Hobart yacht race.

Gunwale bum is the curse of offshore sailors. The extreme chafing of the nether regions is the result of salt water, cold and the unforgiving decks on today's top ocean racers.

Huegill is joining up with champion boxer Danny Green, former rugby greats Phil Waugh and Phil Kearns, cricketer Matthew Hayden and multiple women's surfing champion Layne Beachley to help crew the 100ft super maxi in the race. There will also be half a dozen America’s Cup yachtsmen aboard.

Although he has done a lot of social sailing and a few harbour races, the Rolex Sydney-Hobart will be Huegill's first offshore ocean race. At the official launch of the 2010 race this week, Huegill said he had completed his safety and survival at sea training last week and was looking forward to the race.

"The only advice I've had so far from the other blokes is to take lots of baby powder," Huegill told BoatPoint. "I'm not sure just what I'll be doing on the boat but I'm told I'll probably spend most of my time working the coffee-grinder winches.

"I like the teamwork aspect of the sport and I'm really looking forward to the trip."

Langman has had his supermaxi in the shed since last year's race and when it is relaunched next week it is expected to be significantly faster than last year. He has changed the rigging and the canting keel to lighten the boat and had a new set of sails made.

If the changes can cut three or fours hours off Investec Loyal's time for the 628 nautical mile race, the yacht will really give Bob Oatley's supermaxi Wild Oats XI a tough fight to take its fifth line honours victory in the race.

Ninety nine yachts have nominated for this year's race and Cruising Yacht Club of Australia commodore Gary Linacre says a third of the fleet will be undertaking the tough race for the first time. Linacre said two yachts, Spirit of Koomooloo and Bacardi would be making their 25th trip to Hobart.

Veteran skipper Syd Fischer will be making his 42nd trip south at the venerable age of 83 but his TP52 Ragamuffin is one of the favourites for a handicap win.