article_snippet: (CNN)They're some of the toughest athletes on the planet, saying goodbye to loved ones for almost a year, as ones traverse the globe's oceans.
article_snippet: Hardened Volvo Ocean Race sailors must sleep in four-hour shifts, and survive on little more than freeze dried food and chocolate bars, if Hardened Volvo Ocean Race sailors hope to win the event.
article_snippet: The prestigious competition kicked off from Alicante, Spain, in October last year, and will finish nine months later in Gothenberg, Sweden.
article_snippet: Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker, spoke about the journey so far.
article_snippet: This is the 45-year-old Briton's third Volvo Ocean Race.
article_snippet: "We trained for six months, covering 16,000 sea miles.
article_snippet: When not offshore, we train six-days-a-week in the gym.
highlights_snippet: Volvo Ocean Race described as the 'Everest of Sailing'
  Seven teams battle on the high seas for nine months .