Arctic Yacht Race from New York to Victoria

 

Sailing The Arctic Race (STAR) is launching an extreme sailing race from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the ultimate course - the Northwest Passage.

 

The elite and extreme yacht race is being planned for 2017 is not for the faint of heart, and definitely not for the light of wallet.

 

 It will be a fleet of international sailors racing high performance volcanic-fiber offshore yachts for an epic adventure through pristine wilderness.

 

Rapid climate change has hit the Arctic hard.  For the first time in human history it is possible to sail over the top of North America in a single season.

 

The Sail the Arctic Race will involve teams setting sail from New York for a 7,700-mile journey to Victoria, British Columbia. They will race for six legs with stopovers in cities in the US, Canada, and Greenland. 

 

The route used to be unnavigable because of pack ice, which may well still be problematic for the race participants. But in the years since 1998 there has been less ice, with more below-average than above-average years, and more open water, Environment Canada said.

 

Competitors will purchase or rent specially designed and built yachts for the race, to be built in Sydney, near Victoria, British Columbia. The specially designed racers, with double hulls, and made from volcanic fiber (basalt) with several watertight compartments will cost between $800,000 to $1 million each. The entry fee is $50,000, and the team costs are estimated at $2.5 million each.

 

The use of a single-design yacht is to equalize the field and put the focus on a crew’s navigation and sailing skills.

 

On shore, STAR is a champion of the Arctic, environmental stewardship and community engagement.  Climate change has made this sailing race possible, and these changes have incredible implications not only for the inhabitants of the Arctic but also for our entire planet.