![]() ![]() Altogether, this means finding more than three billion microscopic pieces of information - nucleotides, or bases, that are the molecular equivalent of letters - then putting them all in the right order and learning how to read them. The finish line (which, in many ways, is really a starting point) is a map of the entire human genome, the 80,000 genes that are thought to exist within our dna. Recently, he has elbowed his way to the center of what may turn out to be the most significant race in the history of modern medicine. ''Quick,'' he says, ''does not mean dirty,'' although his critics would argue otherwise. His success comes from codifying shortcuts, doing things in less time and for less money. ![]() When not at sea, he is a scientist - arguably the most prodigious and best-financed molecular biologist in the world. The yacht, after all, is just a distraction, something he's indulged in since he's become extremely rich. He particularly likes that theme lately, now that he has entered the biggest race of his career, one that has nothing to do with the Sorcerer. ![]() His favorite: They said it couldn't be done, but I did it. Bald and fit, with wizardly eyebrows that are in keeping with the mystical name of his boat, the 51-year-old Venter is a man who speaks in metaphors and who sees his life as a series of ongoing aphorisms. Craig Venter, on the other hand, sits calmly in the cockpit, surrounded by dozens of dials and gauges, wearing the crew uniform - a polo shirt bearing the logo of the Sorcerer - and looking downright pleased. ''The inverter is out,'' meaning there will be no on-board power for things like computers and electronic charts.Ī more usual man might be concerned by all of this. Assorted crew members bound up and down the stairs between the two front staterooms with word of the latest glitches: A frenzy of activity fills the teak and cherry cabin as the galley chef stocks the custom-built refrigerator-freezer with provisions for the 635-mile trip: spinach lasagna, Catalina chicken, broiled lamb chops with pesto sauce. Craig Venter's 82-foot-long, million-dollar-deep dazzler of a boat, is not even close to being ready. There are just a few hours left before the start of the Newport-to-Bermuda yacht race, and the Sorcerer, J. ![]()
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