Claims that the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is "the challenge of a lifetime … testing endurance to the absolute limit" are not exaggerated.
And Dr. Dennis Hartman of Comox knows that firsthand. For four months he has been part of the world's longest global ocean challenge.
The race is billed as "an awe-inspiring circumnavigation of the globe covering 40,000 miles of ocean, 13 counties and 16 ports in stunning and diverse cities, and 16 individual races across eight legs."
It is the only race in the world where the organizers supply the fleet of 12 identical, 70-foot, stripped down racing yachts – each sponsored by a brand – and manned with a fully-qualified skipper, employed to lead the crews of amateur sailors safely around the globe.
The 50-year-old Hartman was with the Old Pulteney entry for the first four legs of the 2013-14 race, which started Sept. 1.
He said the "shakedown cruise" aboard the brand new Clipper yacht on the first race from London to Brest, France went well as the crew members got to know each other and their newly-commissioned boat.
It didn't take long for things to get interesting. The second race from Brest to Rio de Janeiro was 29 days, and five of them were spent in the Doldrums (an area in the equatorial ocean where there is little air or water movement).
"We were sitting in an oven, with temperatures in the mid to high 30s and no breeze. You fry above deck and bake below deck. You towel off and in five minutes you're soaking wet again."
Most ports of call allowed time for sightseeing, although there was also mechanical maintenance to do.
Hartman said Leg 3 from Cape Town to Albany, Australia was the granddaddy of all races as the Roaring Forties lived up to their reputation, battering the fleet with 100-knots-plus winds and huge waves.
"It was an experience in and of itself," said Hartman, who was one of the helmsman on the leg. "We were tethered in at all times. The waves were breaking over the boat, if you weren't tethered, they'd never see you again. It was a pretty intense 24 days," with temperatures plunging as low as 0.
Leg 4 featured three races, starting with a return to Sydney and a 10-day break where Hartman enjoyed the beautiful harbour, featuring the famous steel arch bridge and iconic Sydney Opera House.
Then it was time for the 12-yacht fleet to make its debut in the world-famous Sydney-Hobart race. On Boxing Day 120 boats left the harbour knowing their 630-mile journey included three crossings of the notoriously rough Bass Strait.
Its relatively shallow water can be whipped into a maelstrom by the depressions sweeping along Australia's south coast, with the "southerly busters" preceded by the ominous "Bass Strait roller," an unbroken band of cloud.
"Crossing it once is enough, three times is punishment," Hartman said. "We got hammered by the weather every time."
Despite the conditions, Old Pulteney finished third in the 12-yacht division and celebrated by ringing in the new year in Hobart. The fourth leg finished with an eight-day sail from Hobart to Brisbane. "We went through Bass Strait one more time and got hammered again," said Hartman.
In eighth place after eight of 16 races, the Old Pulteney was headed for some severe heat in Leg 5 (Brisbane to Singapore).
Hartman plans to rejoin the crew March 16 in China for Race 10 of Leg 6 (Qingdao, China to San Francisco). Leg 7 leg goes from San Francisco to Panama, Jamaica and New York, and the eighth and final leg from New York to Northern Ireland, the Netherlands and then to the finish back in London in mid July.
Relaxing at his Luxe Aesthetic Medicine office in Courtenay, Hartman explained what inspired him to take on the Clipper Race challenge.
"I've sailed for the last 10 years. I've got a passion for it. But I'd never sailed in extreme, open sea. I wanted to learn more, and experience the sense of adventure and camaraderie.
"I'm from Saskatchewan, a flatlander. I moved to the West Coast to get into sailing. I took sailing courses through Desolation Sound Yacht Charters for a couple of years, bought a boat, and I've been sailing ever since."
Hartman says there have been many highlights from the race. "The Sydney-Hobart race was definitely a highlight. So was the time in Tasmania with its rugged beauty, social events, the wine was amazing and the people were truly friendly." Cape Town was also a definite highlight with its atmosphere, food, people and scenery.
Of the approximately 675 participants in this year's Clipper Race, Hartman said there are about 15 Canadians and he's the only one from Vancouver Island.
Crew taking part in this unique event represent more than 40 nationalities. They can sign up for the whole circumnavigation or one or more of eight legs.
Hartman's introduction to the Clipper race was an article in Pacific Yachting magazine written by the editor, who had sailed Leg 6. "I thought it was a crazy, crazy adventure and I would never, ever want to do that.
"About three years ago I was at the Oakland Boat Show when the (Clipper) fleet arrived. I talked to the crew, and the crazy, crazy adventure became more of an obsession…I've gotta do it."
Like all aspiring applicants, Hartman applied online in May 2012. It took two months to get through the paperwork, and in September 2012 he was in the United Kingdom for his first level of training.
The Old Pulteney (sponsored by a Scottish distillery that produces single malt scotch whisky) has 52 crew members, with an average of 18 to 20 onboard at any one time under the watchful eye of skipper Patrick van der Zijden. The youngest sailor is 22 and the oldest is 66. Hartman says everybody takes turns doing everything, although people gravitate toward areas they're better at.
Hartman, who was the medic for the first four legs, also took on the dangerous task of changing the sails, and his experience made him a huge asset at the helm whenever wind and waves made sailing especially challenging.
"There are always things to do; there's no free rides. Some are more engaged than others. Some are doing more of the high adrenaline things than others. It depends on age and ability."
Hartman notes the crews on all 12 boats are all amateurs – the only professional onboard is the skipper. "Participants come from all walks of life. They all have some experience. You go through rigorous training and survival courses, all done in the U.K. A lot of people weed themselves out due to the rigorous training – it's not Gilligan's three-hour cruise," Hartman said.
Hartman is happy to have been home for the past two months. He notes it can be physically uncomfortable on the boat. "Once you get wet you never dry out," he said, noting the yachts race 24/7 when they're on the water.
Because the heel (inclined position from the vertical) of the boat could be as much as 30 or 40 degrees, going to the bathroom is a challenge. "You have to sit down. That's not part of the training. You learn by mishap," Hartman said with a smile. Getting dressed and not falling out of your bunk are also acquired skills.
While back home, Hartman planned to catch up on work, go golfing, reconnect with friends and go skiing. He also knows what he's not going to be doing.
"I think I'll give the water a rest for a while. I've swallowed enough saltwater in the last few months to last for quite a while," he laughed.