An extreme regatta is planned for 2017. Participating sailors will travel from New York City to Victoria, British Columbia, most of which will be in Arctic waters.
«It's crazy, and big! We couldn't have organized something like this before, but since the climate is changing, now we can,» says project author Eric Molnar, alluding to the significant shrinking of ice that is becoming more apparent every year.
«The race, called Sailing the Arctic Race (STAR), will see participants sailing» through frigid waters on specially designed catamarans with basalt hulls. Each vessel will be priced between $800,000 and $1 million.
The new vessels will enable participating crews to cover over 7.5 thousand nautical miles. The race will be held with stops, the route will be divided into several stages with calling at ports.
It is assumed that the crews will start in July 2017 and finish in October, the time selected taking into account ice conditions in the Arctic Ocean.
Who exactly will accept the challenge and decide to chase in the cold is not yet known. The organizers of the competition report only that they have received confirmation from three teams, and note the interest of athletes from all over the world.
