?Maximus ? maximum horsepower, maximum speed, maximum everything.?

So spoke Charles Brown, owner of the largest boat in the Newport-Bermuda Race and a man determined to create a new mark for the fastest crossing in his $8 million, 100 foot sailing behemoth.

Like a true Antipodean, Kiwi Brown offered a no-nonsense explanation for wanting a boat of the hulking proportions and breakneck speed of

?This is a line honours boat, this is a boat designed to set new course records everywhere it goes,? said Brown, who will lead a crew of 22 into tomorrow?s centennial Newport-Bermuda Race start.

?I wanted a state-of-the-art monohull with no doors left open for new innovations, this is the very pinnacle of a modern boat, it is fully optimised, it has the lot.

?And we want to set a new elapsed time record in this very special race.?

In ?ideal conditions?, Brown and his crew ? of which five are full-time and an integral part of the $2 million annual programme costs ? believe the crossing can be achieved in a quite unbelievable 33 hours ? a full 15 hours quicker than was managed last time out in the Demonstration Division.

In keeping with modern sailing, organisers agreed to allow larger boats in for the 2004 edition of the race and Hasso Plattner?s set a new mark of 48 hours, 28 minutes and 31 seconds.

And even without optimal conditions, that two-year-old record is in extreme danger from the hulking ?you need to be a gladiator to compete in ocean racing?.

?Conditions aren?t looking great,? continued Brown, whose vessel won the Fastnet race by 15 hours with windspeeds never even reaching the 10 knot mark.

?The tropical depression is coming through and leaving nothing behind it. Things can obviously change very quickly, but at the moment there doesn?t look to be a lot of breeze out there.

?But that is the beauty of this sort of race, it is about tactics and it is about trying to make the most of what is on offer and doing everything you can to get the maximum out of the conditions.?

Tropical Storm Alberto, which at one stage looked to be threatening the race start, is now expected to be way past the area by the time the 267 vessels approach the start line off Fort Adams tomorrow lunchtime, but there is no breeze travelling in the storm?s wake, which leaves early predictions of a slow race ? although is such an impressive vessel that the record may still fall.

Despite some concerns about the weather, excitement is reaching fever pitch ahead of the start which will see a record-smashing gathering of competitors ? more than 80 more than the previous mark.

A few hundred of the 2,500-3,000 competitors have already checked in through Bermuda customs after Immigration flew over two officials to ease the burden on staff at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club early next week as preparations continue for the largest sports tourism event in Bermuda?s history.

The stage was set for the world?s second largest ever ocean race ? behind the 302 of the 1972 Fastnet race ? and largest in North America at a huge party sponsored by Gosling?s, who are celebrating their 200th anniversary, staged beneath the shadow of the 132ft at Newport Shipyard last night.

Two boats due to be among the record fleet will not make it to Bermuda after being lost already to the ravages of the sea ? although one crew will still be able to make the crossing.

William Douglas? unfortunately named hit rocks on Friday while competing in a New York Yacht Club regatta.

Although the Swan 45 was badly damaged, the crew?s commitment to the Race was not and they will instead complete the crossing on , which was chartered at the eleventh hour.

The other vessel to miss out will be , who lost her rig in Saturday?s pre-Race Onion Patch Series event.

Friends and family of those racing in the race will be able to track the boats on this newspaper?s website, www.theroyalgazette.com. Positions will be updated every eight hours.