In the VELUX 5 OCEANS skippers find themselves thousands of miles from land, every bit as isolated as being on the side of a mountain. Yachtsmen and mountaineers are both subject to constant danger - in sailors' case from the risk of collision with icebergs or submerged objects, being washed overboard, to the onslaught of 100ft high waves and hurricane force winds in the Southern Ocean.

The difference for VELUX 5 OCEANS competitors sailing around the world is that the danger is ever-present and lasts for more than 100 days, making it one of the world's longest professional sporting events. They are also in a race.

The singlehanded aspect of the VELUX 5 OCEANS cannot be underestimated. Sixty feet of highly powered racing boat is a handful to sail. The mainsail alone weighs more than the skipper and hoisting it up a 28m tall mast becomes a strenuous calorie burning affair. Every time the wind increases, decreases or changes direction so the skipper must carry out a sail change on their own to keep their boat sailing to its optimum. Hauling a large foresail through a small hatch has been likened to dragging around a wet, double mattress.

THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

Then there is the psychological aspect of solo sailing. Being onboard alone mid-ocean is a highly liberating experience, the ultimate opportunity to get away from the bustle of everyday life. But with this comes a different form of responsibility - in tough situations when something on board breaks or the weather is bad the solo skipper is master of his own destiny with life and death often literally in his own hands.

The solitude the skippers experience during the race is impressive. Ask yourself when you last spent a single day with no human contact - then multiply this by 100! When you are doing well there is no one there to share the good times and when you are doing badly there is no one there to re-motivate you. For skippers' handling this side of the VELUX 5 OCEANS is every bit as hard as the physical endurance side of the event.

And if this weren't challenge enough there is the lack of sleep. When all is going according to plan skippers mid-ocean might get six hours of sleep each day, but when conditions are bad or gear has started to break then a skipper might be lucky to get one or two hours or any sleep at all. The effect of extreme sleep deprivation is initially disorientation and poor judgement ultimately leading to hallucinations such as believing other crew are on board. These delusions and disorentiation can leave skippers bemused, slurring their words and battling mentally and physically with simply carrying on.