One man is determined to make history as the first Chinese to circumnavigate the world through the treacherous Arctic route. This man is Guo Chuan, a skipper who once earned recognition for being the first man to finish a global voyage on a class-40 boat in 138 days.
Guo Chuan will start his perilous journey on Thursday, Sept. 4.
An international crew composed of Jochen Krauth and Quentin Monegier from France, Sergei Nizovtsev from Russia, and Boris Herrman and Tim Frank from Germany will accompany Guo aboard the 29.7-meter trimaran called Qingdao China.
The Northeast Passage in the Arctic Ocean is a shorter passage compared to the current shipping line, but it is, at the same time, challenging. If Guo is successful, he and his team will be the first people to cross the Northeast Passage. A new record will also be set, this time as the fastest nonstop across-the-Arctic navigation.
Aside from bringing national pride to his country, Guo also aims to spread the message of peace through his voyage.
"Our six crew members are from different nations. If it were 70 years ago, we would fight against each other on a battlefield. But now we sail together for the same purpose: peace and sport," said Guo at a press conference in Murmansk last Tuesday, Sept. 1.
"We have different skin colors and we look different, but in our hearts we have many things in common. We are devoted to sailing and our profession. And in the bigger picture, I do hope we can do something more meaningful. Apart from promoting sailing sport, we can do something even greater by promoting peace using sport."
Guo and his team will commence their journey in the Russian port city of Murmansk. They are expected to arrive in the Russian port of Provideniya, the endpoint of their Arctic sail, after the 20-day, 3,300-nautical-mile voyage.