Chinese Skipper At Halfway Point of Northeast Passage Record

Last month, we wrote about Guo Chuan, the Chinese skipper currently trying to break records in the Northeast Passage on his trimaran Qingdao China. His trek sends him through northern Russia in some very dangerous waters. Guo is currently halfway through his world record attempt.

CHUANS OCEAN 5 from Big Ape Media on Vimeo.

From the release:

"Guo Chuan and his international crew of four sailors and one media crew, have reached the halfway point of their Arctic Ocean World Record Challenge, six days after departing from Murmansk, Russia and headed for the Bering Strait via the Northeast Passage.

 Photo from the voyage

The team has already set one record. According to the team’s weather expert Frenchmen Christian Dumard, it is the first time ever that a racing boat has sailed so far north. The 97-foot trimaran "Qingdao China" reached 78°33’25 North on Tuesday afternoon, just 1271 km (790 miles) from the North Pole, and the most northerly point of their journey.

The crew plans to sail the entire Northeast Passage non-stop from Murmansk to the Bering Strait between Alaska (U.S.A) and Russia, the quickest route from Europe to the Pacific, expecting to set the first non-stop sailing world record for the Northeast Passage in the process.

The voyage is about 3300 nautical miles and expected to be completed within two weeks around September 14. To celebrate reaching the halfway point, the crew enjoyed some Chinese moon cakes and a little Russian Vodka."