Chinese single-handed sailor Guo Chuan starts 2013 tackling strong winds & towering waves of the Southern Ocean’s Roaring Forties. The Chinese yachtsman is attempting to set a new world record for solo non-stop circumnavigation of the globe. No sailor has ever attempted this in a boat as small as his 40-foot (12-metre) vessel Qingdao. Guo cast off from Qingdao in Shandong province, eastern China, in November on the 21,600-nautical-mile journey, which is expected to take about 125 days.