(CNN) -  When faced with the most ferocious waves on the planet,
most people would seek protection in the largest, sturdiest
vessel they could find.  But when Swedish pensioner Sven Yrvind
sets out on his ambitious mission to circumnavigate the globe,
it won't be in a hefty ship piled high with food, creature
comforts and telecommunications equipment. Instead, the 73-year-
old plans to traverse the high seas cocooned in a sailboat only
slightly bigger than a bathtub.  For many, the proposition of
sailing non-stop around the world for a year-and-a-half in a
vessel just three meters-long will sound rather ambitious, and
coming from a man well past the retirement age, downright far-
fetched.  Indeed, few would likely take the idea seriously were
Yrvind not one of the world's most respected boat-builders.
During his accomplished life he has given lectures to the
Swedish king and queen and received awards from the prestigious
Royal Cruising Club in Britain, among others.  "People have said
it's a suicide mission,"