Features of the Racetrack
GENERAL

The 360-degree Racetrack features gale force winds, high seas, fog, snow, icebergs, islands, extreme cold, the Antarctic circumpolar current, sailing above and below the southern Polar Convergence.
The Racetrack outer and inner boundaries are located on latitude 45° South and latitude 60° South making the Racetrack 900 nautical miles wide.
The wide Racetrack allows competitors to take advantage of favorable weather systems rotating clockwise around Antarctica and within the boundaries of the Racetrack.
The Southern Ocean officially starts below latitude 60° South (International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) www.iho.shom.fr/ . Latitude 60° South is also the border of the Antarctic Treaty Organisation www.antarctica.ac.uk/aboutantarctica/treaty
The southern ‘Polar Convergence’ is within the inner and outer boundaries of the Racetrack.
The Racetrack is open for Monohull and Multihull ocean racing boats, crewed and solo, to set the World Sailing Speed Record around the Racetrack.
High performance crewed ocean racing boats will cover the Racetrack inside 40 days.
For observation purposes, it is possible to overfly a greater proportion of the Racetrack with flights out of airports located on the east and west coast of Australia , New Zealand , South America , South Africa , and Antarctica .
OPERATING MONTHS

The Racetrack is ‘open’ for the months of DECEMBER, JANUARY, FEBRUARY and MARCH of every year.
RACETRACK ZONES

The 360-degree Racetrack is divided into 4 ‘ZONES’ – ‘SOUTH PACIFIC ZONE’, ‘SOUTH ATLANTIC ZONE ‘, ‘INDIAN OCEAN ZONE ‘, and ‘CAPE HORN ZONE’.
GATES AND SECTORS

The Racetrack is divided into 10-degree meridians. There are 18 ‘GATES’ located on selected meridians creating 18 Racetrack ‘SECTORS’.
RACETRACK LANES

The Racetrack is divided into 3 ‘LANES’ each Lane being 300 nautical miles wide.
The ‘OUTER LANE’ spans between latitudes 45°S-50°S and is approximately 14,600 nautical miles in circumference.
The ‘ CENTRE LANE ‘ spans between latitudes 50°S-55°S and is approximately 13,100 nautical miles in circumference.
The ‘ INNER LANE ‘ spans between latitudes 55°S-60°S and is approximately 11,600 nautical miles in circumference.
Boats may traverse all ‘LANES’ of the Racetrack.
In the interest of safety, the event organisers may ‘close’ any of the ‘LANES’ of the Racetrack or parts of any ‘LANE’ for any particular event.
ISLANDS ON THE RACETRACK

There are 18 Islands located on the Racetrack. Scientists from various nations will man a number of these islands during the southern summer.
Islands on the Racetrack are ‘hazards’ to be avoided within the ‘LANES’ in which the islands are located.
RACETRACK DIRECTION

Races on the Racetrack can travel East-West or West-East.
West-East races will take advantage of prevailing winds and the Circumpolar Current.
ONCE AROUND OR MORE

Races can circumnavigate the Racetrack once or more.
RACETRACK EVENTS

Open Solo Monohull Time Challenge
Open Solo Multihull Time Challenge
Crewed Monohull Time Challenge
Crewed Multihull Time Challenge
Class Association Races
Pursuit Races
All Female Crew Races
‘One-Nation Crew’ Races
Production Sail Boat Races
RULES & REGULATIONS

Antarctica Cup Management Pty Ltd will determine the Rules & Regulations under which competitors will compete in events on the Antarctica Cup Racetrack.
OUT OF BOUNDS

The Southern Ocean (below 60° S) is ‘OUT OF BOUNDS’ to boats sailing around the Racetrack.
PRIZES AND TROPHIES

Prizes and Trophies will be awarded for the shortest elapsed time record setter, and shortest elapsed time over individual Racetrack ‘SECTORS’.
START / FINISH LINE

The Start / Finish line will be located in King George Sound, Albany, Western Australia.
GOOGLE EARTH IMAGERY

The format of the Racetrack lends itself to the latest innovations in Google Earth Imagery to create an appealing and highly informative Internet accessible coverage of the Racetrack and events on the Racetrack.
RACETRACK ADVERTISING

Multiple advertising opportunities are associated with the ‘GATES’, ‘SECTORS’, and ‘LANES’ of the Racetrack.
MULTI-MEDIA

Multi-media programs, including Internet enabled youth education programs, can be complimented with subjects such as Antarctic weather systems, management and preservation of southern ocean wildlife, Antarctic history, Global Warming, and the Antarctic environment in general.
ISAF RULES AND REGULATIONS, WSSR COUNCIL

The Rules and Regulations of ISAF and the WSSRC will apply to sailing events conducted on the Antarctica Cup Racetrack.
AIDING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH BY ASSOCIATION

Racetrack activities will include collaboration with scientific organizations to collect oceanic data around the Racetrack for the purposes of enhancing knowledge of the Antarctic environment.
THE RACETRACK – A TEST-BED FOR NEW TECHNOLOGY

The rigors of the Racetrack will test man and machine to the utmost challenging accepted procedures for human training and preparation. The Racetrack will challenge naval architects to design and construct sailing vessels capable of undertaking and surpassing previous speed records around the Racetrack.
USE OF THE ANTARCTICA CUP RACETRACK

Other ocean racing events originating out of Europe may apply to Antarctica Cup Events Management to sail part of the Antarctica Cup Racetrack entering an ‘ENTRY WAY’ located south of Africa and exiting via an ‘EXIT WAY’ located to the east of South America providing a Racetrack distance of approximately 10,000 nautical miles.

Ocean Conveyor Belt

The currents of the Southern Ocean circulate west to east, unimpeded by land. This is the only place on the planet where the oceans can circulate around the globe, uninterrupted by any continental landmass. These currents loosely follow a route tracing deeper waters, and allow water transfer between oceans.

Click to Enlarge
^ Click To Enlarge
Antarctica’s Circumpolar Current stretches for more than 12,400 miles around Antarctica. The surface speed of the current is modest but its great depth and width make it the largest of all currents in the world’s oceans. It carries about 135 million cubic meters of water per second around the Antarctic continent – equivalent to about 135 times the flow of all the world’s rivers combined.