Olympic hopeful to attempt Sailing World Record

Professional sailor and Olympic hopeful Chris Russell will be attempting a World Record for ‘the longest single handed, non-stop distance sailed, unassisted in a dinghy’ on August 20. The current record, according to Guinness World Records, is 282 nautical miles, set by Tania Elias Calles Wolf (Mexico) who sailed a Laser Radial from Los Cabos Baja California Sur to Bahia de Banderas, Mexico, between February 28 and March 3 in 2010.

Based out of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Chris competes in the men’s singlehanded lightweight Olympic Laser Class category, and is currently working towards qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

“I have had a lot of personal successes during my career as a sailor, but setting a World Record is a first for me,” admitted Chris. “I have no doubt of my ability to complete the challenge, but the closer it gets to actually happening, the more the nerves start to creep in. Thinking about the scale of the challenge makes me feel excited and apprehensive, but I’m ready to get out on the water and sail to success!”

Chris is aiming to sail 300 miles, setting off from Porth Eirias, Colwyn Bay in the UK at first light on Wednesday and plans to sail a Laser back and forth across the Irish Channel multiple times (weather permitting). Upon completion of his attempt, Chris will be celebrating his achievement on Sunday during PromXtra – a festival held along the 2 mile-stretch of Colwyn Bay promenade, which had a turnout of almost 80,000 people last year.

“I’ve been working closely with my physical coach, Andy Applegate of Carmichael Training Systems, to prepare for the actual length of time I’ll be on the water,” explained Chris. “Sleep deprivation will be the biggest challenge physically, and we’ve done all we can to manage this well. With this in mind, the food stops are an essential component to the challenge because they will help keep my energy levels up. I’ve been working with my nutrition partner GU Energy to ensure the right nutrition supplies are provided, and I’m comfortable that fatigue will be kept to a minimum.”

Chris will be providing live progress updates throughout the attempt on Twitter via #Force300, his Twitter page @CRSailing, and the Force300 Facebook page.