A major recruitment campaign is underway to find the best Chinese athletes, who may or may not have already sailed, and train them to be as good as ocean racers as is possible. This race is a test of human endurance – you will need a ‘strong heart’ and a competitive character.

The roles to fill are sailing crew, shore crew and the on-board reporter. If you are a Chinese athlete, sailor or bilingual multimedia journalist, or know someone who is, keep reading because this could be for you!

The search for Dongfeng Race Team’s Chinese crew members and on-board reporter is officially underway. The team management held selection trials in Sanya, China, earlier this week and plan to hold more in January 2014.

The Volvo Ocean Race is the world’s toughest sailing event, where the elite of the sailing profession battle it out on the most treacherous oceans. It is a nine-month marathon on the seas, passing through four oceans and five continents

The race is an exceptional test of sailing prowess and human endeavour where the athletes push themselves to the limit of endurance in what is commonly referred to as the ‘Everest of Sailing’.

Although a famous sporting even where you will be able to travel the world, applications are not to be taken lightly. Over the duration of the race, crews will experience life at the extreme: living on a 65foot boat with no fresh food taken on board to save weight so they live off freeze-dried food; they experience temperature variations from -15 to +40 degrees Celsius and only take one change of clothes with them on board. They trust their lives to the skipper and each other and experience hunger and severe sleep deprivation.

An intrinsic member of Dongfeng Race Team will be the onboard reporter, whose job is to communicate 24/7 Dongfeng’s race using the latest hi-tech equipment. They will transfer images, videos and text through a global satellite signal sharing their story with the rest of the world. A bilingual multimedia journalist with an interest in sport would ideally fill this role.

During the trials in Sanya last week the team management put the candidates through their paces both physically and mentally. The applicants stayed awake for 35 hours, ate freeze dried food and took part in a series of activities involving team building activities, physical strength tests, endurance tests and sea survival tests.

DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO DOES? Apply now dongfengraceteam.cn