British sailor Dee Caffari isn’t some novice. She’s sailed around the world five times, two of which were solo journeys. And Caffari’s the only woman in history to have sailed around the world three times, nonstop.
As Outside‘s Yvonne Gordon writes, Caffari first joined the all-women crew of Team SCA in the 46,000-mile Volvo Ocean Race, and she returns this year as the skipper of a team that will consist of men and women. The team sets sail on Oct. 22 and won’t complete their feat until June 2018.
The publication caught up with Caffari, and got an insider’s look at what it takes to travel 46,000 miles, competitively. RealClearLife has teased out some of her best quotes.
-On why Caffari has decided to compete in the insanely long race again: “It’s one of those things where, once you learn what it’s all about, then you know you can do it better the next time around.”
-On the drawbacks of living and racing on a boat for that long: “The reality is you share your bed with another sweaty, salty sailor. Everyone’s feet start to smell. It will be wet and cold and hot and stuffy and sweaty—there’s very rarely any in-between. You don’t have a bathroom. Your toilet is outside, off the back of the boat.”
-Offshore sailors “shower” using Wet Wipes, and eat a lot of freeze-dried food, such as porridge for breakfast. Drinking water is produced by filtering ocean water.
-The team keeps on a “four hours on, four hours off” schedule. That is, if you’re not in charge of sailing, you have four hours to eat, drink, clean yourself up, and sleep.
-Caffari’s worst fears at sea are “illness and injury.”
-On what she missed when she sailed around the world: “carpet,” “sofas,” “tea,” and “fresh fruit.”
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