His last attempt lasted just seven days. South-west of Ireland, the extreme sailboat was caught in a storm at the end of July 2019. His ship was so badly damaged that he had to return to his home port in Les Sables-d'Olonne. The next launch was planned for 2020. But then came the coronavirus pandemic. But now it should succeed.
As part of the "Ant Arctic Lab" project, Sedlacek will once again attempt to sail across the five oceans - including the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans - single-handed, non-stop and without outside help. It would be the first time that a person has completed this route in this way.
The Austrian will be sailing on a yacht from the Type Open 60, which Sedlacek and his crew built themselves. The 18.28 metre long boat consists of made from a vulcanised fibre-balsa wood sandwich and should be particularly environmentally friendly thanks to the selected material mix.
A video about the Open 60 made from environmentally friendly material you will find here.
The start is on Sunday 15 August at 10.30 a.m. in Les Sables-d'Olonne. The French harbour town is particularly well-known among circumnavigators, as it is the start and finish port of the Vendée Globe every year.
Unlike other circumnavigations, Sedlacek will not be heading south to the Cape of Good Hope after the start of this adventure. Instead, he will first sail northwards to circumnavigate the Norwegian Arctic island of Spitsbergen. He will then sail to the southern hemisphere before rounding the globe north of the Antarctic continent.
The failed "Ant Arctic Lab" attempt in 2019 was still on the route plan, to cross the Northwest Passage and sail southwards to the west of the American continents. The team abandoned this plan and decided to head for the Arctic Ocean via the Atlantic Ocean. A total of around 32,000 nautical miles lie ahead of Sedlacek.
Sailing around the world or to remote places is nothing new for the native of Vienna. From 1996 to 1998, he circumnavigated the globe in an 8.40 metre Wolf 766. In the Antarctic summer of 2000/01, Sedlacek was the first Austrian to sail non-stop around the Antarctic, covering 14,315 nautical miles in 93 days. In 2004, he began his career in the Imoca Open 60 class and took part in the Vendée Globe twice. He failed once due to damage to the keel.
From a meteorological point of view, nothing stands in the way of the start. On the contrary: summery conditions and light winds from the north-east are expected off the French coast on Sunday.
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Fabian Boerger
Editor News & Panorama
