As one of the world's very top professional sailors, George Skuodas's lifetime dream came sharply into focus last August when he was among the first selections for TeamOrigin, a new British initiative to challenge for the next America's Cup. The Scot's towering 6ft 5in frame and impressive physique are just part of the reason he has remained in constant demand virtually since he won a national newspaper competition seeking Britain's next generation of offshore sailing talent 20 years ago. In 2002 in Auckland, he sailed with GBR Challenge, the last British Cup campaign, and last year he sailed with Italy's Mascalzone Challenge in Valencia.

His massive reach and power are the foundation of his highly skilled role as America's Cup and offshore racing mast-man, responsible for rapidly hoisting sails when the boat rounds a mark.

While rounding a turning mark, his particular talent alone, which amounts to switching on more power seconds earlier than the opposition, can result in a gain of two or three metres, leverage which can grow to tens of metres in a matter of minutes.

Skuodas' hopes, along with those of hundreds of other America's Cup sailors and support personnel, have since foundered. A protracted legal battle between Ernesto Bertarelli, the Swiss-based pharmaceutical billionaire holder of the America's Cup and Oracle software billionaire Larry Ellison means the prospect of an America's Cup open to teams other than holders Alinghi and the challenger of record, BMW Oracle Racing, is now likely to be at least two years off. When this became apparent, TeamOrigin's founder, Airmiles owner Sir Keith Mills, cut the sailing team adrift.

While the billionaires fight it out in the courts of New York, Skuodas, who was brought up in Garelochhead, has been keeping his sailing skills sharp on the Audi MedCup Circuit, which has attracted the cream of America's Cup sailors over the last three years to race in lightweight, high-speed TP52 yachts.

The circuit is well established as the highest level of professional fleet racing in the world, as recognised by America's Cup teams such as Team New Zealand, who crewed the title-winning MedCup boat and the runner-up in 2006, and three times America's Cup winner Russell Coutts, who won the MedCircuit in 2007.

Visiting glamorous locations in Spain, France and Italy before concluding last weekend on Portugal's Algarve coast, many of the professional teams are heavily backed by Spanish banks or telecoms companies who are keen to be associated with a grand prix tour on which the King of Spain is a regular competitor with his yacht, Bribon.

"As of December last year, TeamOrigin had to pull the handbrake on and so I was lucky that my place was kept open with the team I have sailed with here on the Audi MedCup Circuit," explains Skuodas, who races on the British TP52 Cristabella.

"I was very lucky to have this as a backstop because it is such a good circuit and good sailing. Every day the racing is so good, there is no better way that I could be staying sharp, sailing sharp.

"Physically, it is nowhere near as challenging as the America's Cup - a three-race day here is like doing one warm-up lap on the big cup boats - but they are big enough to be good fun. But because they are light and easily handled, we do a lot of non-standard moves - the tightness of the sailing and the competitiveness of the class means we are pushed hard in terms of throwing the boats around in a way that a lot of people would not comprehend.

"There might be six or seven boats overlapped going to one mark and that is where it sharpens you, and there is not a lot of other sailing in the world that keeps you under the same level of sustained pressure that this does. I am lucky in my role that I get to call the sail manoeuvres on the boat."

Skuodas was first choice mast-man for TeamOrigin, which was put together with three-times Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie as skipper along with double gold medallist Iain Percy.

"I want to be the best mast-man in the world. That was my objective in 2002 with GBR Challenge and in Valencia last year and that is my objective looking forward. I have no desire simply to be the best mast-man on TeamOrigin. I am not limiting to myself to wanting to be the best in the UK.

"That is why I am here on the MedCup, there is a little piece of me always thinking about the America's Cup, and that is why I get out of bed at seven in the morning. When they do let us go America's Cup sailing, then I want to be there and ready."

Skuodas is hopeful that TeamOrigin may reform to race next January and February in Auckland at the Louis Vuitton Pacific series, a new event which will be races in the last generation of America's Cup class yachts.

"Cup sailing does still feel like it is within our grasp and it does feel like it is getting closer again rather than further away," he said.

"But it has been enormously frustrating. I had moved towards living in Valencia. From a sailing career point of view, it is tremendously frustrating. The age I am, I was looking at being 39 in 2009 and so possibly being my last chance for a really good shot at it on the boat.

"But the Cup is so punishing on your body, it is like playing a game of rugby each and every day. Looking to 2011 now, you have to think maybe my body will survive because I am not doing Cup sailing, but I am not stacking the odds in my favour.

"The next generation of boats will be more physical. There will be no mechanical advantage. It is still going to be about men physically moving sails around, and for example there will be unlimited spinnaker size. That will be a huge challenge."