circumnavigation

Les Sables d'Olone, France - Around Alone:  Two words that every sailor understands to be the ultimate challenge.  To circumnavigate solo is so difficult that more people have traveled in outer space than have sailed non-stop around the world singlehanded, and far more have climbed Everest.  There is no greater test of a person and a boat, and those 30 sailors that set out today on the Vendée Globe race will be racing against themselves as much as each other.  As nearly every one of them we spoke to has said, they'll be l

We've noticed that a lot of non-sailors, lake sailors, and coastal sailors are coming to YachtPals to learn more about ocean sailing, and particularly ocean racing. With the Volvo Ocean Race underway and Vendee Globe race coming up, we realized that there were a few general concepts many are unclear about, and we thought that we could make things a bit more understandable for our readers with a brief glossary.

Imagine choosing the most difficult route around the world possible, finding a boat capable of the trip, and then sailing off solo just to see if you can make it. Adrian Flanagan did all those things, and a few weeks ago he did one more: On May 21, 2008, Adrian tied the knot on the most difficult route imaginable - over Russia, under the Horn (the hard way), and all the way around the Earth's axis - he made it!

Barcelona-born sailor Albert Bargués and 26 year old French yachtswoman Servane Escoffier sailed into Spain on Educación sin Fronteras this week to finish the Barcelona World Race in 5th place. They were indeed happy to arrive after an epic 108 days at sea, sailing a total distance of 27,892 miles, at an average speed of 9.45 knots!

Russian solo circumnavigator Fedor Konyukhov is caught in the same southern ocean storm that saw Franck Cammas' trimaran Groupama 3 capsize on Monday. "I am sad to hear that Groupama has capsized. I know most of the crew and sailed with Yves Parlier in the 2000 Vendee Globe. Before, it was good to know that there were others sailing in the Southern Ocean with me.