Swiss sailor and Bermuda resident Herve Favre is aiming to raise funds for local charity Big Brothers and Big Sisters (BBBS) with his participation in next month's Bermuda One-Two race from Newport, Rhode Island to Bermuda and back.

Mr. Favre's 28-foot yacht Ace Girl is so far the only vessel taking part in the biennial race under the Bermuda flag.

"I decided to do it because I like to share my experience with others. I like to be useful, if you like. I'm on my own in the boat but I know that others will share the experience with me," said Mr. Favre senior legal counsel at Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch.

The first leg of the race will be sailed solo and the return will be double handed. Some 40 boats are expected to take part. In 2001, Mr. Favre raised $60,000 for Children Action a US based charity, when he participated in the Transat 6.50 another solo race from La Rochelle, France to Bahia, Brazil.

BBBS Executive Director Patrice Parris said the $170,000 a year budgeted organisation needed any extra help it can get.

BBBS employs a staff of four, including a full-time Executive Director. Its primary program is to find adult matches for at risk children. Ms Parris said a target of $30,000 had been set and that the children will be given an opportunity to raise the funds themselves through pledge sheets.

"This is going to be the first time I can recall that we will be involving our Littles in fundraising efforts," she said. "They will be going out with pledge sheets to see if they can get 13 people to pledge $10 each, because Herve will be sailing a total of 1,300 nautical miles."

Some of the children will get to sail with Mr. Favre based on their fundraising performance and their success in a quiz being planned by BBBS.

Ms Parris said she was most excited about the fact that Mr. Favre had had a "grand success" with the Transat race, and that the project had an educational component to it. Mr. Favre will give a talk on his experiences at the end of the race and when he returns to Newport.

At last count BBBS served about 100 clients, and plans to add two new components to its programme by the end of the year.

"We are looking to introduce two new programmes before the end of the year - one a Couple for Kids programme where we match a married couple with a child. The other an Occasional Big where they would come in and be a Big to a Little at any of our events." Besides the matching programme, BBBS organises events such as camping trips, parties and nature walks, she added.