If the height of a sailor's sporting ambition is the Olympic Games, the well-established principle of what goes up, must come down applies sooner or later. For former Finn single-hander John Driscoll, creating a soft landing after reaching a world ranking of eighth a year ago brings him into the talent-packed 1720 Sportsboat class this season.

This time last year, the 31year-old Olympic veteran was locked in combat with Malahide's David Burrows for the single place on the Irish squad for Sydney 2000 in the Finn class. Following a close three-event series on the Eurolymp circuit, Driscoll was narrowly defeated for the nomination and ended his campaign.

Weary from the intensity of the Olympic campaign, Driscoll decided to continue his sailing at club level. Away from the professional circuit, the 1720 seemed the ideal arena for his talent.

"Almost everyone on the Olympic circuit has a plan at the back of their mind after a campaign ends," he says. "As many as 50 per cent give up sailing completely and anything less than skippering just doesn't suit many Olympic sailors."

But Driscoll has relished the challenge of a transition from single-handed sailing to a fully crewed keelboat. He has signed up with Waterford brothers John and Tom Murphy, sailing Waldon Leasing from Howth Yacht Club for this season. A full campaign of all the Irish regattas plus the Scottish series at the end of this month and Ford Cork Week/European Championships in July is planned. The Murphy team have already set down a marker with outright victory in the Sportsboat class at the important Spi Ouest Regatta in France last month.

As a proven single-hander, Driscoll stresses the need for the crew to compromise and act as a single body. "Sometimes it seems like we've turned into a debating society and I'm reminded about `too many cooks'." He says the major exception to this is in the area of tactics: "Already I feel that I'm losing my `seat of pants' feel for what's going on and at the end of the day I have to remember that the stick (helm) is in my hands."

Apart from the switch from single-handed to crewed keelboat racing, the major difference that Driscoll has noticed is that at professional level there are no excuses - preparation is everything in winning races. At club level, if a mistake is made it's easier to recover and learn at the same time.

"At club level, people also smile a lot more. If you get paid, you have to win - all the time."

Racing for the 1720s continues this weekend at Dun Laoghaire, where the class has organised a series in place of the postponed Royal Alfred Baily Bowl.