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Southern Ocean 101: tales from sailing through the end of the world

published
May 10, 2023
location
USA
discipline
Sailing

Southern Ocean 101: tales from sailing through the end of the world

Southern Ocean 101: tales from sailing through the end of the world

published
May 10, 2023
location
USA
discipline
Sailing
5
 mins read
WORDS
Joe Batchelor
PHOTOS
Amory Ross / 11th Hour Racing / The Ocean Race

Between February 26 and April 5, 2023 11th Hour Racing Team competed in the longest leg in The Ocean Race history, a mammoth 14,840 nautical mile adventure from Cape Town, South Africa to Itajaí, Brazil.

 

Those in eye shot of a map will know you can’t make that journey east on water without crossing the Southern Ocean and rounding Cape Horn, the latter a voyage which has been experienced by fewer people than have summited Mount Everest.

 

First thought to have been discovered by Dutch sailors in 1616, Cape Horn marks the point at which the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. For centuries seafarers have considered the seas off the southernmost part of Chile as among the most dangerous waters on earth – thousands of miles from land, with nowhere to stop, or anywhere to escape.

 

Famed and feared by many for its treacherous nature, this perilous passage of water has long been referred to as the end of the world, and rightly so.

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Simon Fisher
“It’s hugely symbolic. It’s by far in a way one of the most significant achievements in sailing. It’s unlike anywhere else in the world.”

A telling testament to the difficulty of its climatic conditions, it’s revered by many as the ultimate challenge; and for that reason alone, it’s a place that holds an endless fascination for people around the world – us included.

 

11th Hour Racing Team Navigator Simon Fisher has now rounded Cape Horn five times but the novelty never wears off. “It’s hugely symbolic. It’s by far in a way one of the most significant achievements in sailing. It’s unlike anywhere else in the world.

 

“Some of the biggest waves I’ve ever seen have been in the run up to Cape Horn. The swells are just enormous. When you round it, it’s an enormous feeling of relief.”

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Keep exploring ...
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11.10.2023
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Listen to Jack ...

Several factors combine to make the passage around Cape Horn a so-called perfect storm: enormous swells, some of the biggest waves we’ve ever seen; and the extreme low-pressure systems whirling across its waters.

 

One of the principal reasons for these unique conditions is that in the Southern Ocean, there’s little land in the way to slow down the weather systems traveling around the bottom of the planet.

Simon Fisher
“It’s one of the most challenging places to sail. It’s unrelenting; you simply have to treat it with a lot of respect and a lot of caution.”
Southern Ocean 101 Tales Carousel 2

Mix this in with the fierce low pressures resulting from the cold winds from the Antarctic meeting warm weather from the tropics, and you’re left with a cauldron of unpredictability. 

 

All this makes for both a physical and mental challenge.

Simon Fisher
“It was the resilience of the team and the refusal to give up that got us to the finish line”

Mix this in with the fierce low pressures resulting from the cold winds from the Antarctic meeting warm weather from the tropics, and you’re left with a cauldron of unpredictability. 

 

All this makes for both a physical and mental challenge.

Mix this in with the fierce low pressures resulting from the cold winds from the Antarctic meeting warm weather from the tropics, and you’re left with a cauldron of unpredictability. 

 

All this makes for both a physical and mental challenge.

Fisher reveals: “It’s one of the most challenging places to sail. It’s unrelenting; you simply have to treat it with a lot of respect and a lot of caution.

 

“You get bad weather in other races but you know it won’t last long, in the Southern Ocean, you’re down there in those conditions for weeks.”

Drag

So, exactly what does it take to consider venturing into the end of the Southern Ocean? And what lessons did we learn when recently completing Leg 3 of The Ocean Race?

 

We asked Fisher these very questions, and he explains below just three of the factors that helped get the boat to the finish line.

‍

Teamwork
“You can’t get across the Southern Ocean as a group of individuals. You have to be a strong team and everyone has to pull together. The teamwork element is absolutely crucial to competing in The Ocean Race as a whole. It’s fundamental that every member of the team is looking after each other in certain situations. The nice thing about the experience as well is everyone brings a different skillset and there’s different personalities. The best teams are always the ones who are a rich mix of all these many different things.”

 

Resilience

“Resilience was a word used a lot after crossing the Southern Ocean. It was a fairly constant test of resilience and pretty much everything that could have broke, broke on 11th Hour Racing Team! It was the resilience of the team and the refusal to give up that got us to the finish line. There were times when the easiest thing to do would have been to stop, but we decided to knuckle down, repair the boat as best we could on the water and keep managing the situation and stay positive.”

 

Flexibility

“Being able to adapt to situations is crucial in the Southern Ocean and flexibility was one of the key factors to our mindset. It was incredibly important. There was a point where we had difficulties and we had to accept we weren’t going to be able to push as hard as we wanted. We had to adapt and realize we couldn’t try to win the leg, but just get to Brazil. That flexibility in mindset was incredibly key because it meant we remained positive, and focused on the fact we were going to get the boat to the finish line rather than be disappointed we weren’t going to win the leg. We also had to be flexible in how we figured out solutions on the boat as well in terms of the self-repairs.”

QUESTIONS
Joe Batchelor
ANSWERS
Amory Ross / 11th Hour Racing / The Ocean Race

Between February 26 and April 5, 2023 11th Hour Racing Team competed in the longest leg in The Ocean Race history, a mammoth 14,840 nautical mile adventure from Cape Town, South Africa to Itajaí, Brazil.

 

Those in eye shot of a map will know you can’t make that journey east on water without crossing the Southern Ocean and rounding Cape Horn, the latter a voyage which has been experienced by fewer people than have summited Mount Everest.

 

First thought to have been discovered by Dutch sailors in 1616, Cape Horn marks the point at which the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. For centuries seafarers have considered the seas off the southernmost part of Chile as among the most dangerous waters on earth – thousands of miles from land, with nowhere to stop, or anywhere to escape.

 

Famed and feared by many for its treacherous nature, this perilous passage of water has long been referred to as the end of the world, and rightly so.

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8.17.2022
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No items found.
Keep exploring ...
4.17.2023
The power of subtle storytelling - with Amory Ross
11.10.2023
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8.17.2022
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Listen to Jack ...

A telling testament to the difficulty of its climatic conditions, it’s revered by many as the ultimate challenge; and for that reason alone, it’s a place that holds an endless fascination for people around the world – us included.

 

11th Hour Racing Team Navigator Simon Fisher has now rounded Cape Horn five times but the novelty never wears off. “It’s hugely symbolic. It’s by far in a way one of the most significant achievements in sailing. It’s unlike anywhere else in the world.

 

“Some of the biggest waves I’ve ever seen have been in the run up to Cape Horn. The swells are just enormous. When you round it, it’s an enormous feeling of relief.”

Simon Fisher
“It’s hugely symbolic. It’s by far in a way one of the most significant achievements in sailing. It’s unlike anywhere else in the world.”

Several factors combine to make the passage around Cape Horn a so-called perfect storm: enormous swells, some of the biggest waves we’ve ever seen; and the extreme low-pressure systems whirling across its waters.

 

One of the principal reasons for these unique conditions is that in the Southern Ocean, there’s little land in the way to slow down the weather systems traveling around the bottom of the planet.

No items found.

Mix this in with the fierce low pressures resulting from the cold winds from the Antarctic meeting warm weather from the tropics, and you’re left with a cauldron of unpredictability. 

 

All this makes for both a physical and mental challenge.

Simon Fisher
“It’s one of the most challenging places to sail. It’s unrelenting; you simply have to treat it with a lot of respect and a lot of caution.”

Fisher reveals: “It’s one of the most challenging places to sail. It’s unrelenting; you simply have to treat it with a lot of respect and a lot of caution.

 

“You get bad weather in other races but you know it won’t last long, in the Southern Ocean, you’re down there in those conditions for weeks.”

No items found.

So, exactly what does it take to consider venturing into the end of the Southern Ocean? And what lessons did we learn when recently completing Leg 3 of The Ocean Race?

 

We asked Fisher these very questions, and he explains below just three of the factors that helped get the boat to the finish line.

‍

Teamwork
“You can’t get across the Southern Ocean as a group of individuals. You have to be a strong team and everyone has to pull together. The teamwork element is absolutely crucial to competing in The Ocean Race as a whole. It’s fundamental that every member of the team is looking after each other in certain situations. The nice thing about the experience as well is everyone brings a different skillset and there’s different personalities. The best teams are always the ones who are a rich mix of all these many different things.”

 

Resilience

“Resilience was a word used a lot after crossing the Southern Ocean. It was a fairly constant test of resilience and pretty much everything that could have broke, broke on 11th Hour Racing Team! It was the resilience of the team and the refusal to give up that got us to the finish line. There were times when the easiest thing to do would have been to stop, but we decided to knuckle down, repair the boat as best we could on the water and keep managing the situation and stay positive.”

 

Flexibility

“Being able to adapt to situations is crucial in the Southern Ocean and flexibility was one of the key factors to our mindset. It was incredibly important. There was a point where we had difficulties and we had to accept we weren’t going to be able to push as hard as we wanted. We had to adapt and realize we couldn’t try to win the leg, but just get to Brazil. That flexibility in mindset was incredibly key because it meant we remained positive, and focused on the fact we were going to get the boat to the finish line rather than be disappointed we weren’t going to win the leg. We also had to be flexible in how we figured out solutions on the boat as well in terms of the self-repairs.”

Simon Fisher
“It was the resilience of the team and the refusal to give up that got us to the finish line”
No items found.

Between February 26 and April 5, 2023 11th Hour Racing Team competed in the longest leg in The Ocean Race history, a mammoth 14,840 nautical mile adventure from Cape Town, South Africa to Itajaí, Brazil.

 

Those in eye shot of a map will know you can’t make that journey east on water without crossing the Southern Ocean and rounding Cape Horn, the latter a voyage which has been experienced by fewer people than have summited Mount Everest.

 

First thought to have been discovered by Dutch sailors in 1616, Cape Horn marks the point at which the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. For centuries seafarers have considered the seas off the southernmost part of Chile as among the most dangerous waters on earth – thousands of miles from land, with nowhere to stop, or anywhere to escape.

 

Famed and feared by many for its treacherous nature, this perilous passage of water has long been referred to as the end of the world, and rightly so.

No items found.
Previously unseen
ABOUT THE PROJECT

To highlight the connection between water and sports, we’ve brought together an internationally renowned freediver, a world champion freeskier, and professional offshore sailing team. Like water, these athletes move in unison with their mind, body, and the present moment. Together, these athletes bring to life their fullest expressions– like water, they flow.

ABOUT THE TEAM

We chose athletes who are not only the best at what they do but also align with 11th Hour Racing’s mission to protect and restore the ocean. We hired local storytelling teams who are also some of the best in the world. Each part of the production was carefully considered to come together as one holistic story.

Behind the Scenes

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