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By Alex Trickett BBC Sport Online

Watch GBR Challenge in action

It was a long time in coming, but when Peter Harrison unveiled Britain's first America's Cup bid for 15 years, he restored his sea-faring nation to its proper place at sailing's top table.

Whether or not team GBR Challenge get to drink champagne out of the Auld Mug next March, Britain stands to benefit from the long campaign ahead.

Ellen MacArthur's guide to the teams

By nurturing some of the country's best talent and establishing a Cowes base, from which to launch future challenges, Harrison has already raised sailing's profile.

GBR Challenge time-line

Jul 1999: Harrison has vision at Admiral's Cup

Oct 2000: GBR Challenge company is set up

Jan 2001: Formal Cup challenge is made

Sep 2001: Crew moves to New Zealand

Mar 2002: Wight Lightning is shipped out

Aug 2002: Wight Magic follows by plane

Oct 2002: The challenger series begins

And a few success stories in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf, could do for match-racing what Ellen MacArthur did for offshore yachting in 2001.

Harrison - a keen and successful sailor - came up with the idea of fronting a bid during the Admiral's Cup of 1999.

Having just received �100m from the sale of a 49.9% stake in his computer company, he realised that he had the financial means to launch a serious campaign.

Have your say: What hope for British bid?

GBR team profile: Peter Harrison

And he acted quickly, setting up a new company to fund GBR Challenge in October 2000, following the sale of the rest of his IT business for �200m.

A formal challenge was announced at the beginning of 2001, by which time a design team was in place drawing up plans for the syndicate's boat.

In addition, aware of time lost during Britain's 'missing' years, Harrison bought a pair of 2000-generation America's Cup boats from former Japanese syndicate Nippon Challenge.

Greg Searle, of GBR Challenge
Searle is part of a high-profile crew

These yachts have helped the bid to catch up on technology and tactics.

But Harrison will be relying on the best of British when racing begins in earnest.

His sailing team is headed up by seasoned skipper Ian Walker, who has twice struck silver at the Olympic Games.

And with the guile of helmsmen Andy Green and Andy Beadsworth, and the well-tested brawn of former rowing champion Greg Searle, a high-profile crew has been assembled.

Much still depends on the boats.

Original craft Wight Lightning has been joined by Wight Magic in Auckland Harbour.

And both may find the going hard in the Louis Vuitton Cup as nine rivals fight for the right to take on America's Cup holders Team New Zealand in 2003.

A history of the America's Cup

But even if success does not come to his country at the first time of asking, Harrison knows the importance of just being at that 'top table'.

"The GBR Challenge enables me to take a leading role in re-entering Great Britain into a prestigious competition," Harrison explained.

"It is my vision to be the catalyst for this nation to compete in the Cup for a number of years, with the goal of returning the trophy to the place where it all began 150 years ago."


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