Around the world race ‘endurance battle’ for Cup king Tuke

In October, more than 80 sailors jumped on their yachts to begin a race that wouldn’t finish for eight months.

The sailors, spread across seven crews will travel 83,340km before a team is crowned Volvo Ocean Race champions.

Since 1973, the race around the world has been held on a three-yearly basis, drawing sailors from across the globe in a test of skill and stamina.

The concept is simple: it’s the ultimate ocean marathon, a roundthe-clock pursuit pitting the sport’s best against each other across the world’s toughest waters.

A total of eight Kiwis are competing this year, including Olympic gold medallist and America’s Cup winner Blair Tuke.

For Tuke, competing in the race had always been a dream but he was finding out it was a different beast to what he was used to.

“It’s a lot more of an endurance battle,” he told the Herald on Sunday. “It really takes it out of you. You’re pretty fatigued at the end of each leg.

“It really is a relentless thing to be doing where you’re just pushing yourself day in, day out, all around the world. In saying that, to make the boat go fast and put the boat in the right place is pretty similar to normal sailing, so a lot of the stuff transfers over.”

Teams are awarded points for each leg of the race, with an in-port series running as well. The team with the most points by way of placings on each leg is named the winner. The in-port series does not count towards the final standings, but does act as a tiebreaker if necessary.

Tuke, aboard leading vessel MAPFRE, has a unique chance to claim sailing’s triple crown after taking Olympic gold in 2016 and being part of the America’s Cupwinning Team New Zealand in 2017.

Not that he was thinking about that, though. For the 28-year-old, it was about the opportunity.

“I’ve really been enjoying my experience in the Volvo. I’m with a great team and learning a lot from the guys around me.”

The race takes competitors across four oceans, touching six continents and 12 landmark host cities.

And, as Tuke simplified it: “You go through the roughest conditions you can think of . . . as well as very calm conditions — and everything in between.”