Vendee Globe

[troutman]

Sportsnet Magazine had a recent cover story on Bad-Ass athletes. The story mentions the Vendee Globe sailors, and I think they must be the baddest of the bad-asses. Three months alone at sea. From France, around Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, back to France. There is a chance of being "lost at sea".

Follow the race here:

http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vend%C3%A9e_Globe

The Vendée Globe is a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed non-stop and without assistance.[1] The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years. The 2012-2013 edition started Saturday, November 10, 2012.

As the only single-handed non-stop round-the-world race (in contrast to the VELUX 5 Oceans Race, which is sailed in stages), the race is a serious test of individual endurance, and is regarded by many as the ultimate in ocean racing.

The competitors may stop at anchor, but may not draw alongside a quay or another vessel; they may receive no outside assistance, including customised weather or routing information. The only exception is that a competitor who has an early problem may return to the start for repairs and then re-start the race, as long the re-start is within 10 days of the official start.

The race presents significant challenges; most notably the severe wind and wave conditions in the Southern Ocean, the long unassisted duration of the race, and the fact that the course takes competitors far from the reach of any normal emergency response. A significant proportion of the entrants usually retire, and in the 1996-1997 race Canadian Gerry Roufs was lost at sea.[6]

To mitigate the risks, competitors are required to undergo medical and survival courses. They must also be able to demonstrate prior racing experience; either a completed single-handed trans-oceanic race or the completion of a previous Vendée Globe. The qualifying race must have been completed on the same boat as the one the sailor will race in the Vendée Globe; or the competitor must complete an additional trans-oceanic observation passage, of not less than 2,500 miles (4,000 km), at an average speed of at least 7 knots (13 km/h), with his new boat . Since trans-ocean races typically have significant qualifying criteria of their own,[7] any entrant to the Vendée Globe will have amassed substantial sailing experience.

[Locke]

I personally dont see where this gets fun, but that might just be me.