Irons gets sea legs back to join crew in Global Challenge

JEREMY IRONS spoke for the first time today about what he claims will be his toughest role yet - competing in a round-the-world sailing race.

Following the example of the British solo yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur, the actor will face gale force winds and mountainous seas when he sets sail from Wellington in New Zealand with the BT Global Challenge fleet.

His crewmates on board the boat LG Flatron, named after its sponsors, are currently leading the race. They gave Irons a warm welcome this week when he flew out to join them. The four women among the 18-strong team were particularly excited to have the suave British star on board. But his celebrity status will earn him no special treatment as they work round the clock in punishing conditions during the weeklong sprint across the Tasman Sea into Sydney harbour.

The BT Global Challenge, founded by yachtsman Sir Chay Blyth, is regarded as one of the world's toughest nautical races because the amateur sailors on board 12 competing steel boats plot a precarious course against prevailing winds.

Irons was born in Cowes and brought up sailing around the Isle of Wight, but this will be his first taste of deepwater sailing. He anticipates the adventure will be a mental and physical test of endurance and a life-changing experience to tell his grandchildren about.

"It will be my biggest challenge to date and I am looking forward to it with some trepidation," he said. "Usually I do not suffer from seasickness, but who knows what the weather has in store.

"I am determined to pull my weight and know I shall get little sleep working in a four hours on, four hours off watch system.

You only have one life and it is important to take every opportunity to fill it.

"To have such good fortune to be asked, I simply could not turn the opportunity down. I am attracted to challenges and the unknown and this fills both those criteria."

The 52-year-old is worried about fitting into a tightly-knit crew that has already sailed halfway round the world together, but believes his experience arriving on a new film set and the teamwork involved in his profession will stand him in good stead.

The actor, who divides his time between his family home in Ireland and a flat in Kensington, is looking forward to the break from work. Last summer was spent shooting the children's action adventure film Dungeons and Dragons, out next week, and he is currently negotiating a role in a "major feature film" to be shot in France and Romania later this year.

While undaunted by the prospect of living off freeze-dried food, and the scant washing facilities or privacy below deck, he says he will miss his family and will take photos of his wife Sinead Cusack and sons Sam and Max with him. He will also take his harmonica, which he hopes to grab time to play while sailing under the stars.

In preparation for the challenges ahead the boat's skipper, Conrad Humphries, has been putting Irons through a gruelling fitness test with dawn runs and sailing training.

The fiercely competitive LG Flatron crew has taken the race by storm, winning two of the three legs so far. Mr Humphries said: "Jeremy has a huge amount of sailing experience and is keen to get fully involved with the crew and ensure together we sail to the best of our ability."

A documentary on the BT Global Challenge Yacht Race will be broadcast on ITV at 2pm on Sunday and the race website www.btchallenge.com will follow all the drama.

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