VIDEO: Chuan Completes Arctic Record Challenge

Chinese skipper Guo Chuan and his international crew of four sailors and one media crew member from Germany, Russia and France set the first crewed World Record for a non-stop sail of the famed Northwast Passage in the treacherous Arctic Ocean on Tuesday, officially crossing the finish line at the Bering Strait at 16h48 UTC (12:48pm Eastern) on September 15.

During the voyage, Qingdao China reached maximum speed of 37 knots on September 4, and covered 466 miles during one 24-hour stretch between September 4 at 11h04 and September 5 at 11h04 with an average speed 19.43 knots. The official departure time was 13h41 UTC on September 3. The record will now be submitted for validated by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.