by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
I’m a fan of the round the world races, and have massive admiration of the sailors that do them. It is an adventure that gets more extreme for each lap, with 38 solo sailors now strapped to 60-foot IMOCA yachts in the Vendée Globe, navigating the evil oceans of the southern latitudes.
While tracking these races, it is during this section of the course that I endure misinformation, or inconsistent information, about the location of the competitors. The problem is, once they are south of the three capes (Cape Leeuwin, Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Horn), they are said to be in the Southern Ocean.
However, the Southern Ocean is not well defined and stretches around Antartica, but everyone knows it is the most treacherous place on the planet. Out of curiosity, or perhaps boredom, I sought to engage the Race Office in the topic:
I asked, “In the race reports, what are the boundaries being used to define the Southern Ocean?”
They replied, “Thank you for your interest in the race! What do you mean by boundaries? And why would you need this information?”
Is this getting lost in translation? They are French.
I continued, “There are five oceans on Earth: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans. However, only four have specific boundaries that the international community has approved.
“For example, the Indian Ocean is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west, and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by the Southern Ocean, or Antarctica, depending on the definition in use.
“The news reports often say the fleet is in the Southern Ocean, but by definition they seem to be in the Indian Ocean. While most nations consider the northern boundary of the Southern Ocean to be at 60° S, the Australians say that it hits their shoreline.
“So again, how does the race define the Southern Ocean boundaries?”
No reply nearly a week later, and I remain curious… or bored. Still not sure, about any of it.
Source: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2024/12/09/i-remain-curious-or-bored/
