40 days to departure: Austrian skipper Norbert Sedlacek Koch attempts World Extreme Sailing Record
by Ant Arctic Lab 7 Jul 2022 10:52 BST
15 August 2022
IY Open60AAL © Innovation Yachts
For the fourth time, Skipper, Founder, and Managing Director of Innovation Yachts, Norbert Sedlacek Koch is attempting to become the first sailor ever to sail around the world single handed, non-stop, and without assistant through all five oceans; among those are the Arctic and Antarctic Ocean.
40 days from now, Norbert Sedlacek Koch will depart for his world extreme sailing as a part of the Ant Arctic Lab project. The departure of this world record attempt is set on 15th August 2022 from Les Sables d'Olonne, France and will cover a distance of at least 32.000 nautical miles. The challenge will take around 200 days at sea single handed, non-stop, and without assistant through all five oceans including the Arctic and Antarctic Ocean.
Norbert will embark on our IY Open60AAL which was built using fully recyclable and environment friendly materials such as volcanic fiber, balsa wood, and harmless epoxy. Therefore the purpose of this project is also to promote an environmentally safe sailing and clean yacht construction.
"The nautical ship building industry has a major role in encouraging respect for the environment and in producing clean products and technologies. Our philosophy is taking a clean approach to the design and construction of our yachts and boats," says Norbert.
This ultimate challenge will push Norbert to his limits as he will sail for six months dealing with loneliness and frustrations alone and non-stop at sea. He is expected to encounter the most dangerous waters, through ice, stormy waters, the doldrums and many other unknown adventures.
Nonetheless, sailing has become a part of this 60-year-old skipper. The former waiter and Vienna's tram driver has been devoting himself in sailing world for more than 30 years. Between 1996 and 1998 Norbert became the first Austrian sailor to circumnavigate single-handed the world, in 2000-2001 he was the first Austrian sailor to circumnavigate Antarctica non-stop, and in 2009 Norbert became the first German speaking Skipper who finished the world's most extreme sailing race, the Vendée Globe.