In the build up to this year's Brut Gold Cup which commences tomorrow in the Hamilton Harbour, much attention has centred upon Roy Heiner's quest for the largest ever cash prize in the history of sailing.

On offer is $250,000, which would belong to the Dutchman if he places first as it would give him three victories among the five-race Brut by Faberge series.

However, prognosticators need not worry, for according to Heiner the money is safe where it is.

Speaking from his homeland, the world number five ranked match race sailor gave himself little chance of winning the week long regatta where skill, experience and a great deal of luck must all come together for one to survive into the later rounds.

He shuddered when the list of seeded skippers Russell Coutts, Ed Baird, Paul Cayard, Peter Gilmour, Bertrand Pace, Magnus Holmberg and Thierry Peponnet was read out.

"I hope I don't meet any of those guys,'' said Heiner, who will employ the likes of Dirk d'Ridder, Jan Andersen and Stuart Bannatyne as crew. "I said from the beginning that no one will win this prize and up to now I'm still right, as no one else can win this prize.'' "To put it mildly it's nearly impossible, the competition is so stiff and difficult and Bermuda is a very testing event. My chances are very small.

"I mean, I've never won in Bermuda, so why would I win it this year!'' Victories at the Brut Cup of San Francisco and Brut Cup of New York earlier this year provide somewhat of a clue as to why many will have gazing eyes affixed upon the sailing Dutchman.

Also there is the fact that only once in the three years Heiner has competed at the Gold Cup has he not made it to the semi-final stage. He lost to eventual winners Russell Coutts and Rod Davis in 1992 and 1994 and was ousted at the quarter-final stage in 1993.

The 1992 event witnessed his explosion onto the match racing scene as a paying entrant when the format was expanded to include 24 skippers.

And the truth that Bermuda gave him the initial chance to distinguish himself as a legitimate challenger to the match racing powers is not lost on Heiner.

"The Gold Cup for me is a very special event because it was the event where I received the sponsoring from Continental Airlines. This break gave us an opportunity to continue in match racing, so in that way Bermuda has always been a special place for me,'' he reflected.

"I would consider it one of the highlights of the match racing circuit to be able to beat the people in Bermuda, particularly because the best people are always at Bermuda.

"Plus I'm looking forward to coming to a warm climate, it's 13 degrees here.'' Asked if he felt added pressure to go with his role as one of the pre-race favourites, Heiner answered in the negative, comparing it to any other race.

"I don't feel much pressure, just see what happens. You've got to beat the other opponent on the day. You've got to get a wind shift and he's got to have a worse one.

"It's like any race. When I started with match racing I really wanted to win or do well in the race, so I tried very hard and I'm sure that when we sail we'll try very hard, but it'll be the same and not different to any race we've had before.'' The past three years have seen gigantic steps being taken by Heiner and his team, yet the man remains unsatisfied.

A self confessed "water fanatic'' his ultimate goal is to sail as helmsman in the America's Cup, to which end he is involved in a Dutch funded Mumm 36 campaign, but for now getting to the point where he can not only compete, but beat the world's best on a regular basis is the goal of the 34-year-old, married father of two.

Still, judging from performances to date Heiner would appear squarely on the threshold of true greatness.

"We've come a long way relative to the other guys and I'm fairly happy with progress we've made at the moment, but I still think it's a long way to go and I personally don't feel that we have the ability to consistently beat the best guys in the world and I feel this is a process which needs a little bit more time,'' he explained.

"You could speed this process up a bit more if there would be more money and possibilities to train, but in the circumstances that we live in ...I'm happy with where we are. On the other side we're not nearly at the top of our ability and I still think we're a long way away and we can get a lot better.'' Opponents no doubt would cringe at such a thought.

Racing gets underway at 9 a.m. with a qualifying series for the unseeded skippers.