How:

After having explored every corner of every continent, only the two opposite ends of the Earth remained defiant and inaccessible. Those frozen wastelands, where life is almost impossible, became the stage for a mad race of dozens of men who wanted to go down in history. Driven more by a desire for glory than by scientific interest, they set out to challenge the most extreme conditions, both in the Arctic and the Antarctica.

From the Vikings to explorers such as Fridtjof Nansen, Robert Peary and Roald Amundsen, they all set off on a race to reach the geographic North Pole, located just above the 66th Parallel North at the exact latitude of 66º33’52” N, the final destination of the Pelayo Vida Challenge in 2021.

Floating ice, winter landscapes, rough seas, endless cliffs, ice floes, sea lions, whales, birds, wildlife. Grey and icy landscapes that, when facing the force of the sun, deploy a chromatic spectacle of amazing beauty and savage energy. Rambling trails between ice and icebergs, which can only be crossed during some summer months, with its polar bear migration centre and where thousands of beluga whales cross its waters during the summer.
The Pelayo Vida 66 Norte Challenge against cancer, now in its seventh edition, aims to spread the word about the benefits of exercising during and after cancer treatment by sailing in such an extreme place on Earth as the icy waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic.

Why:

This year, due to the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the seventh edition returns to sea, where our five crew members will remain isolated. With this new edition, more than 1,500 women have already taken part in the selection trials for Kilimanjaro’2015, Trasatlántica’2016, Polar’2017, Annapurna Bike’2018, Andes’2019, Vuelta España’2020 and 66 Norte’2021.

Five women who have suffered from cancer will have to cover 2,500 nautical miles sailing from Galicia to the Arctic Circle, exactly to parallel 66º33’52” North. A sailing adventure through difficult waters and in very harsh weather conditions. They will just join the other crew members on the ship, steering it and being on the necessary watches during the voyage.

Our five sailors will have to face new and demanding experiences and challenges. This expedition has been organised in such a way that the participants are part of the crew; thus, they will have to be on watches every three hours, sleep in shifts in a “warm bed”, while not always having a shower available and taking turns to cook and clean the ship.