Crew completes record sail of Arctic Ocean

Sep 21, 2015 A Chinese skipper and his crew of four sailors recently set the record for the first non-stop sail of the Northeast Passage in the Arctic Ocean. The crew, which was led by Guo Chuan consisted on members from Russia, France and Germany.

The team took off from the Russian port of Murmansk onboard the 97-foot trimaran “Qingdao China” and crossed the finish line at the Bering Strait 13 days later.

Their journey was the first time a racing sailboat has sailed non-stop from Murmansk to the Bering Strait. However the trip was not without incident, as the crew had to circumnavigate hazards such as icebergs, strong winds and freezing temperatures.

The challenging conditions notwithstanding, the crew made it to the Bering Strait amidst celebrations that left the captain literally bouncing with joy.