There is less to discover today, but a few hardy souls still patrol the oceans, including one – Bert Schandevyl – from Flanders.

Schandevyl is part of Team Sanya, one of six crews currently competing in the Volvo Ocean Race, a round-the-world yacht race held every three years. Some dismiss it as a flotilla holiday, but fans say it is the ultimate sporting challenge: Following the prevailing winds, the course is deliberately plotted through some of Earth’s most inhospitable environments. As a result, the competing boats can expect to face three-storey swells, iceberg-strewn seas and ship-swallowing squalls.

Sailing around the clock, the 11-person crews race day and night for more than 20 days at a time on some of the legs. Fresh food, mattresses, pillows and even reading material are verboden – too heavy. Everyone shares a single cabin, which wouldn’t be so bad if they had the time and the means to bathe. The winning crew doesn’t get a cash prize, but they can count on a crystal trophy, a slap on the back and perhaps sailing’s best bragging rights.

The race set off in Alicante in October and will end in Galway in July after the crews have completed 72,000 kilometres. The 28 year-old Schandevyl, who is Team Sanya’s bowman, has already competed in many of sailing’s most high-profile events, including the Tour de France four times, the Round Britain and Ireland Race twice, the Fastnet Race three times and the Sydney to Hobart Race three times. The Antwerpenaar is also an accomplished 18-foot skiff sailor and has competed in the double-handed Figaro Transat and singlehanded mini-Fastnet.

“It has been my dream since I was eight years old,” said Schandevyl a few weeks before setting sail on the first leg took off last October. “The first Volvo I watched was the one when EF Language won [1997-98]. I have it all on tape. From that moment on, I knew that this was the race I wanted to do. It’s actually my life’s dream.”

So how are Schandevyl and Team Sanyo doing? Well, for all the majestic historical references “Talking Sports” has dredged up, rather poorly: After three of the nine legs, the team is languishing in sixth (and last) place, with just 16 points (leaders Team Telefónica have 95). But if his team fails to catch up with the others, Schandevyl can at least console himself that he is upholding a very Flemish tradition of navigation.

www.volvooceanrace.com