Swoosh Guinness World Record Team
What is Snow sailing?
Charles: “Snow sailing is a new sport we have introduced to the world earlier this year. Powered by the wind the Snowsailer is a great way to explore the frozen outdoors. The world has seen land sailers before, and we have taken it to another level by enclosing the cockpit and using retrofitted snowboards as opposed to wheels. The mechanics of sailing remain the same”.
How long have you been doing it for and what makes it so unique?
Charles: “I have been playing and developing the Swoosh Snowsailer for 8 years, including a trip to Antarctica in 2016 and racing at the World Ice and Snow Championships in Russia in 2017. It’s a world first and the SWOOSH Snowsailer was developed, built and designed in Brisbane, Australia”.
What made you want to do a World Record attempt?
Charles: “We need to maintain the #bethefirst element of the SWOOSH Snowsailer. Therefore the opportunity to set the world record ‘Greatest distance covered in 24 hours – Snow sailing’ was to good an opportunity to pass up”.
Who is in the Team for the World Record attempt?
Adrian: “Team Swoosh in Iceland will consist of the Swoosh Snowsailer designer and builder and owner of Outer Edge Magazine Charles Werb, owner of Impulse Adventures Adrian Manikas (me), and Merino Farmer John Ball who won his place on the expedition through a competition at Mountain Designs (one of our past sponsors)”.
What have you been doing to train and prepare in the lead up to the attempt?
Adrian: “On the fitness front, we have all been maintaining a decent level of general strength and fitness with a slight focus on endurance to match demands of general expedition life. On top of all the testing and development over the last 8 years, in January, Charles took the Swoosh Snowsailer to Switzerland for a shakedown trip to fine tune the machine even further”.
Will you have Staminade on standby in Iceland to be your first aid for thirst?
Adrian: “No, not on standby. It will be front line. During our 24hr record attempt, each of the team members will be sailing for minimum 2-hour stints, we will have a fresh bottle of Staminade by our sides the entire time to maintain effective hydration”.
How important is Staminade to your World Record attempt?
Adrian: “Imperative. We will be spending up to 7 days on a glacier, drinking only melted snow and glacial ice which generally is quite void of minerals. While drinking all the water in the world, without replacing our lost electrolytes, we would not be able to function sustainably. Plus, Staminade being Australia’s first and greatest, we wouldn’t have it any other way!”
How far do you think you will travel during your World record attempt?
Adrian: “Being powered by the sun and driven by the wind, our speed and therefore distance over a period of time is highly dependant on the wind and surface conditions. We will have an arsenal of sails of various sizes to be able to adapt to the strength of the wind, and hope to maintain consistent movement over our 24hr mission. We hope to hit the 500km mark!”