Our friends in the north: new world record set for a racing boat?
Guo Chuan and his crew make setting new world records look easy.
A new world record attempt was set in motion on September 3.
An international crew on a 97-foot trimaran set sail from Russia, undertaking a gruelling attempt to complete the Arctic Ocean Northeast passage non-stop sailing world record challenge.
But it looks as though they may have set another world record, almost accidentally.
Guo Chuan, skipper, reports that their trimaran, Qingdao China, was at 78°33’25 North at 14h00 UTC yesterday, a distance of 1271 km from the North pole (686 miles).
It’s thought that this is the first time a sailing boat has ever sailed so far north.
Blimey – a potential new world record without even trying.
The Qingdao China is journeying from the Northeast Passage from Murmansk to the Bering Strait between Alaska, USA, and Russia.
They are currently half way through their journey and Chuan reports in the Sailing Scuttlebutt News that they have been celebrating this milestone with Chinese moon cakes and Russian vodka.
Good luck with the rest of the trip, Qingdao China!
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