HAYDOCK-born yachtsman, David Watkins is really getting into the swing of things in his preparation for the forthcoming BT Global Challenge Round the World Yacht Race.

Morecambe-based David, whose parent's Charles and Lily, still live in Haydock, was selected to be a staff 'legger' in the crew of the "Nuclear Electric", his employer's yacht, when they try to regain the title they won four years ago.

And, as part of the intensive training routine needed to prepare for the race, David and the rest of the crew attended a gruelling weekend sailing trip off the coast of Wales in the Menai Straits.

The 34-year old, who works as a first engineer at Nuclear Electric's Heysham 2 Power Station, will be joining the crew in Boston in June 1997 for the sixth and final lap of the race back to the finishing line in Southampton.

David told the Star: "Training in the Menai Straits was rough and tough. The smaller boats went like the clappers and magnified every mistake we made.

"Training like this is great for team work and honing seamanship skills. With just six months to go to race start, we're really pulling together as a team now."

David is pictured right as he prepares for a life on the ocean wave, with the Nuclear Electric's skipper, Richard Tudor.

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