The ultimate test of human relationships: A lap of the World:

 

"The dangers are obvious. If  you hit an iceberg, nobody will help you out there because nobody's out there." 

MAIN SPONSOR:  MAINSAIL

In Barcelona: 14 crews of 20 men have just started a 20,000 mile non-stop lap of the World. It's expected to take the winner around three months to complete. "You're trapped together, there's no getting away from each other. I mean, there's no divorcing on the water,"  says one of the crew. At the hull of the ship: theses crews spend three months with two people together in a space of just 80 square feet! In the last edition of the race, nine teams started, but the Southern Ocean took its toll and just five teams finished the non-stop epic race around the World. The 2010 edition was won by French man Jean-Pierre Dick and his IRISH co-skipper: DAMIAN FOXALL who won by more than two days. The runner-up however broke a World record by travelling some 540 miles in 24 hours.

FOXALL and Dick celebrate winning Round World Race

"The quality of (sailing) C.V. counts for nothing if you can't get on together, you will only subtract from each other," - 2010 Co-winner, Jean-Pierre Dick

Loïck Peron celebrates another World sailing record

Last year's co-winner Jean - Pierre Dick has a new co-captain; sailing legend Loïck Peron, who is a house hold name in France. Dick is first to acknowledge however that: "The goal is to be in common agreement on board together. That's a key point. If you don't get it right it means that both people will only subtract from each other."

LEAD SPONSOR:  ROLEX  Yacht-Master

Loïck Peron adds to the point by
stating: "You need to respect each other when you are spending so much time alone together. You can't be doing things making noise on deck while the other is sleeping below. It's disrespectful. Small details make an awful lot of deifference to efficiency. It's like being married, you're trapped together. There's no divorcing on the water though. You have to deal with whatever situation arises."