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Polish sailor Paszke eyes solo round-the-world record

Polish sailor Roman Paszke stands in front of his catamaran Bioton in the Nauta shipyard in Gdynia, Poland, on Sunday. PHOTO: AFP

Polish sailor Roman Paszke is preparing for a lonely 10 weeks at sea.

The 56-year-old is planning to have a crack at breaking Briton Ellen MacArthur's solo round the world record of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds.

And in attempting to break that remarkable feat, Paszke, who will embark on his first solo effort, will set sail from the same place that MacArthur launched her record navigation, the Isle of Ushant off the coast of Brittany in France.

"It's a way to realize my dreams," Paszke said.

He plans on leaving next month aboard his Bioton catamaran before heading for the Cape of Good Hope, rounding Australia's Cape Leeuwin and finally negotiating the hazardous Cape Horn before returning to Ushant.

It may be Paszke's first solo mission but the skipper is no stranger to momentous feats.

In 1997 he was part of the Polish-American MK Cafe team that won the prestigious Admiral's Cup.

A few years later he skippered Warta Polpharma to fourth place in The Race, a round-the-world race celebrating the Millennium.

But the last two years he has dedicated himself to this particular trial, working on his boat and studying the paths of his predecessors.

"I know by heart every part of Ellen MacArthur's course record," he said.

MacArthur is someone he holds in especially high regard.

"She is small but she has a great heart, is very brave and has exceptional tenacity," he said.

To beat the record, Paszke is hoping to rely on his vast experience of the open seas, his custom-made catamaran and that little bit of lady luck needed to achieve something truly remarkable.

But it is in Bioton that he will put most of his faith.

"It's a faster boat than Ellen's but it's more difficult to master. You really have to know it's limits," he said.

Paszke has had little time to test his vessel.

Bioton was first launched a week ago in Sweden and next week Paszke will sail from here to Falmouth in England before waiting for the meteorological go-ahead.

"The results of the first tests across the Baltic are encouraging, even if there are a many details to iron out, particularly with regards to the navigation and communication systems," the Pole said.

Should he make it all the way around the world and back home, Paszke will become the second Pole to do so, following in the wake of Henryk Jaskula who, in 1980, took 344 days aboard his monocoque Dar Przemysla.
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