STEPHEN AINSWORTH, owner and skipper of last year's Sydney to Hobart overall winning yacht Loki, will leave the helm of his cherished 63-footer after this year's race, where he will attempt a rare back-to-back win in the 628-nautical mile classic that starts on Boxing Day.
Ainsworth, 58, concedes it will be hard to let go of Loki, named after a figure in Norse mythology and now up for sale, when he takes an extended break. Last year's Sydney to Hobart was his 14th attempt to win the Tattersall's Cup for the best corrected time, and his first victory.
''It will be [hard]. It's my favourite boat out of all the boats I have ever had, because it is such a good boat and been so successful,'' Ainsworth said on Tuesday.
''I have been lucky in the way the GFC has panned out. Very few boats have been built subsequent to the building of Loki.
''Normally boats are taken over by technology and new boats come along that tend to be a little bit quicker. But it hasn't happened [here].
''Now and then there are boats built that get everything right. Love and War is a classic. Loki is one of those boats. But it costs money for it to just sit around.
''I am a goal-driven person. It's always been a goal of mine to win the Hobart. Having done it, I am happy to come back and defend it; but looking back I have won just about everything I had ever hoped to win. That's why I am going to take a break … whether it is two, three or four years, I don't know.''
But speak about his passion for cycling that sees him hit the roads of Sydney's Centennial Park on weekdays, or the northern beaches on weekends, and the slightest indication he will miss ocean racing - especially the Sydney to Hobart - quickly disappears from his face.
After the Sydney to Hobart he has plans for a cycling tour in Europe that will include some of the climbs in next year's Tour de France.
''What I really like about cycling - well, there is the exhilaration and speed - is that compared to sailing you are master of your own destiny. It's all up to you.
''It's you and the bike. In sailing you may have 17 others on the boat and the vagaries of the weather. That factor you can't control.''
It is not that Ainsworth, whose win last year was immensely popular, has lost his competitive edge for racing on the high seas.
The prospect of becoming the first back-to-back overall winner since Freya took a hat-trick in 1963, 1964 and 1965 excites him. And if you really want to challenge his resolve to take a break, suggest what he would do if he won again.
''That would be interesting, but let's get there first and then see,'' he said, smiling. ''There is some interest in whether I can do it again. But everything has to go right for you. The unknown at this point is what the weather is going to be like.
''It may suit big boats. It may suit small boats. It may suit a medium-sized boat like us. All we can do is prepare the best we can. The crew is in place. The boat is in good condition. We are pretty ready to go.''
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