Sailing's Mt. Everest: The Volvo Ocean Race
By Ryan Wood
Active.com
It's one thing to take up sailing as a hobby, and stay close to the shore while learning the tricks of the trade.
It's quite another to participate in a sailing race that goes around the world.
Obviously, the Volvo Ocean Race is for the elite, and the courageous. The event--which is held every three years--takes sailors all over the three major oceans, including a trek across the mighty Pacific. It is known as the "Everest of Sailing."
The 2008/2009 Volvo Ocean Race lasts nine months and covers 37,000 nautical miles. Among the destinations:
- The teams will start in Alicante, Spain
- From there they will go south in the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Town, South Africa
- Up the Indian Ocean to Kochi, India
- Across the Indian Ocean to Singapore
- Up the Pacfiic Rim to Qingdao, China
- The big leg--across the Pacific and around the tip of South America to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Up the Atlantic Ocean to Boston
- Across the Atlantic to Galway, Ireland
- Over to the Swedish cities of Goteborg and Stockholm
- And, finally, finishing in June 2009 across the Baltic Sea in St. Petersburg, Russia
There are seven entries in the race, each with a team of 11 professional sailors. Two of the sailors are required to have medical training, and the boat will also hold a sailmaker, an engineer and a media specialist.
It's not easy living. There is no fresh food on the boats, temperatures can get uncomfortably cold and sleep deprivation will be common. The leg that goes across the Pacific will take more than a month.
Here are some images that capture the spirit--and challenges--of the event, courtesy of the Volvo Ocean Race's media team:
