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Inside a round-the-world racing yacht

  • Story Highlights
  • Watch as Volvo Ocean Race skipper Ken Read shows CNN around Puma
  • Read shows the boat's living quarters via video link during the race
  • Puma is currently sitting second in the lengthy round-the-world event
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By Mike Steere
For CNN
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Imagine living inside a cramped, rolling and swaying 70 foot yacht for 40 days non-stop.

Jerry Kirby (l) and Ken Read (r) speak with CNN from aboard the Puma Racing Volvo Ocean Race boat

Jerry Kirby (l) and Ken Read (r) speak with CNN from aboard the Puma Racing Volvo Ocean Race boat

That's exactly what 55 sailors across five teams competing in the grueling Volvo Ocean Race have just done.

Sailing from Qingdao, China all the way to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the teams crossed 12,500 nautical miles as they journeyed along the fifth leg of the round-the-world race.

During the journey, the skipper of Puma Racing, Ken Read, and the boat's bowman, Jerry Kirby, spoke with MainSail's Shirley Robertson via a video link from aboard the boat.

Read told CNN MainSail, "We are about 1,400 miles from our final destination, Rio, and we can't wait to get there ... it has been a long time."

Via the video link, the skipper and his team-mates showed Shirley Robertson around the boat -- including the sleeping quarters, the navigation technology, the technical equipment on deck, and the food. Could you cope for 40 days in the challenging conditions of a round-the-world yacht? Tell us below in the SoundOff box

Video Watch the tour of the Puma Racing boat »

The Puma boat and all of the other boats in the race are in constant contact with the Volvo Ocean Race headquarters in the United Kingdom.

Chief executive of the Volvo Ocean Race, Knut Frostad, told CNN the technology means the position of the boats is updated every 15 seconds, and it is possible to speak with the sailors instantly.

Despite this technology being helpful for safety purposes, he said it is important not too overuse the resource.

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"Some of the fascinating stories with this race are from the mystery. In the old days, before the 1990s, no-one knew what had happened before the boats arrived in port.

"I think there's a great balance we need to take care of there. It's not always about 'more is better,'" he said.

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