Sara Hastreiter only lived on St. Croix for a few years, but she learned to love sailing and the sea.
Now, with 40,000 miles in her log, she is one of the select sailors to compete in the “Everest of Sailing,” the Volvo Ocean Race around the world.
Hastreiter’s first trip to St. Croix was when her mother moved to the island in 2007. She returned in 2008 to work with VI Care as an intern to earn a degree in international studies with a focus in Africa and two minor degrees.
Hastreiter learned to sail working aboard Jolly Roger with Captain Mike Klein. After a few races, she realized she loved the speed and the intense physical workout. She made her first trans-Atlantic crossing in 2010 and has been working on boats ever since. She has raced in Antigua, St. Barths and the Heineken race. She estimates she has crewed in 30 to 40 “big” races.
“I wanted to travel and pay off my student loans,” Hastreiter.
A move to Newport, Rhode Island, allowed Hastreiter to “sail as much as possible.” She traveled back and forth from the East Coast to the Caribbean, delivering boats. She learned all of the deck responsibilities and worked each position, graduating to larger and larger boats.
“Going into Class 40 was a good move to advance my career. It was a steep learning curve,” she said.
It hasn’t been easy for a woman to crew racing boats in a male-dominated sport, Hastreiter said. In the last five years, she has only sailed with two or three other women.
“I had to prove myself over and over,” she said. “I’ve never had a better sense of accomplishment.”
Hastreiter likes sailing because she never gets bored. Each day the ocean is different and the sunrises and the sunsets are unique every day.
“The landscape of the sea is ever changing,” she said.
For the last year, Hastreiter has been training with other potential crew members in the Canary Islands for a place on the SCA team. She learned in March that she would join the team with women from Britain, Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the U.S.
“Every one is the most professional and best trained sailor in the world. They can do it in the dark,” she said.
The last time there was an all-women crew in the Volvo Ocean Race was 1997, and they finished ninth out of 10. The SCA team has a good chance of winning, according to Hastreiter .
So far five teams have signed up to complete in the nine-month, 38,000-mile competition. Hastreiter thinks two or three more teams will enter before the Oct. 4 start.
The teams will sail identical boats – the 65-foot Volvo Ocean – a monohull racing yacht. The sails and riggings are fixed and no changes can be made by the teams.
The race begins in Alicante, Spain, and ends in Gothenburg, Sweden. In between, there will be stops in Cape Town, South Africa; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Sanya, China; Auckland, New Zealand; Itajal, Brazil; Newport, Rhode Island; Lisbon, Portugal; Lorient, France, and The Hague, Netherlands.
Hastreiter said “the physicality” will be the most difficult part of the nine month race.
“It is called the ‘Everest of Sailing’ and the ‘toughest sport in the world.’ For the mind, body and spirit. You’re hot or cold and salty most of the time and you eat dried food,” she said.
The part she looks most forward to is arriving in the various ports. Her parents plan to meet her at one or more stops.
The first Volvo Ocean Race was held in 1973. There were 17 boats with 167 sailors. Three sailors lost their lives during the race. Over the years, another two sailors have died at sea during the race that is held every two and a half years or so.
After a visit with her parents, Tom and Charlene Sedar, on St. Croix, Hastreiter will meet the SCA team in Newport and sail the yacht to the Canary Islands to continue training. Before the Volvo, they will participate in the Around Britain race and a 400-mile race in Spain.
Hastreiter has her degree to back up her sport. She has thought about using her education and experience serving with a humanitarian organization in Africa.
