All the knowledge of ocean racing is to advance the draft forward.

Ocean racing is big business involving vast amounts of money.

In France, the definition of "ocean racing" is far different from the one employed almost everywhere else.

It was not long before people began going further afield in these new, extremely seaworthy craft, and ocean racing began to emerge.

One was a lieutenant Phil Weld, who later became famous for his single-handed ocean racing of small sailboats.

In recent years ocean racing has started turning away from long, point-to-point races in favor of day racing around closed courses.

On hand to speak about his experiences in ocean racing will be Brian Hancock, a world-class ocean racer from Marblehead, Mass.

A 60-foot yacht designed in the anything-goes style of ocean racing is expected to sail through the Golden Gate Bridge finish line late Saturday and break what many sailors consider to be the last great sailing record.

"While racing the distance of 630 nautical miles (the equivalent of over 1100 kilometres) under sail is in itself daunting, the unpredictable and often treacherous seas encountered, particularly in crossing Bass Strait make the Sydney-Hobart one of ocean racing's classic challenges.

When asked if he sees himself as a business man or a sailor, he replies without demur that he is 'a businessman', but he also professes, a touch pugnaciously, to being 'a socialist' and believes that opportunities for the ordinary person to take part in ocean racing have become even fewer since large scale sponsorship.