The Allures 44 Opale has crossed the Northwest Passage : 5/5 - From the Arctic to Antarctica

Between sail and motor, which mode of propulsion prevails on this route?‍

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"For this crossing of the Northwest Passage carried out in August 2019, we sailed 90% of the time under sail between Saint-Pierre et Miquelon and Paamiut in Greenland, 50% of the time under sail along the Greenland coast, 70% under sail between Upernavik (Greenland) and Pond Inlet (Nunavut), then 90% under motor from Pond Inlet to Cambridge Bay, where we were in the ice anyway. Then another 50% by motor from Cambridge Bay to Tuktoyaktuk, then 80% by motor from Tuktoyaktuk to Nome (see map below). In fact, on this last section, either there's a lot of wind, in which case we take shelter in an anchorage, or there's no wind, and we make headway at 2 knots with the current against us, or we put the engine on so as not to arrive too late in the season in the Bering Sea. But we knew that before we set off, and we had to accept it, otherwise we wouldn't go.

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It is very important to have significant reserves on board, to be able to win the next point if reserves are lacking at a given stage.

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Then, in the Bering Sea, from Nome to Sand Point, we sailed all the way, with quite a few lows. All in all, that represents around 70 to 80% of motorized sailing over the whole course." So, of course, it's essential to have a high level of energy autonomy on board. This is achieved by means of gas cylinders whose standards and characteristics - it should be noted - differ considerably from one part of the route to another, but also and above all by being able to store large reserves of fuel on board: "One year, there may even be no diesel available at a refuelling point on the route, because the supply boat has not passed, and so it's very important to have significant reserves on board, to be able to reach the next point if reserves are lacking at a given stage. In fact, oil tanks are the first thing you see when you arrive in these towns and villages, both in Greenland and Nunavut."

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Opale logbook overview

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‍Therelative importance of engine-driven navigation is confirmed by Opale's logbook, which is highly instructive in many respects. The information scribbled there with precision by the crew touches on everything from life on board to weather conditions, ice observations, the effect of the tides, the daily amount of sunshine, and the adventures of friendly yachts encountered along the way.

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Thus, the diary page dated August 13, 2019 (reproduced below) mentions a wind highly variable in strength and direction, from 3 to 17 knots, but also a speed of 4 to 6 knots, reached indifferently under mainsail and solent or motor. There's also news of a friendly boat, Altego II, a sturdy 16-m steel keel registered in Slovakia and skippered by Czech circumnavigator Jiří Denk, with whom a photo session is first carried out. Later in the day, we learn that the yacht is blocked by ice, prompting Opale to write "Turn back to get away from the coast as Altego II is blocked by ice". The water temperature readings, taken at regular two-hourly intervals, show a continuous drop in temperature, a sign of the proximity of the ice. The account of a day spent heading south in the strait between Prince of Wales Island to the west and Somerset Island to the east, between 74° and 72° N, ends with a laconic, common-sense assessment: "South of Barth Island is stuck > Route West to get away from the coast and around the ice pack".

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‍Some happy memories?

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‍Of course, I'll always remember the good times spent with the crew, discovering an exceptional territory and environment together. There were two of us on board with Bénédicte as far as St Pierre et Miquelon. Then, from St Pierre to Nuuk, four friends joined us, so there were six of us on board. Then in Nuuk, three of these friends left, the second watch leader stayed, and three other crew members arrived, including my daughter Claire. We had to let a crew member go in Pond Inlet, as he couldn't risk being late for work reasons, and so there were five of us from Pond Inlet to Nome, where most of the crew left again, and then on the Nome - Sand Point leg, there were two of us again with Bénédicte.

‍Anotherpoint was the strong bond created with the crews of friendly boats, with a very pleasant sense of mutual aid, based on just-in-time information sharing: this state of mind and this constant solidarity had a real value for us, as much for the safety of all as for the pleasure of exchange, as for example with the crews of Altego II, Morgane, Breskell and also Alioth who left his boat at Sand Point like us.The landscapes also left a strong impression on us, especially in the areas where the coastline is the most jagged, and we were able to enjoy them in the special light of the Arctic summer. In fact, I was able to capture quite a few scenes, even with my cell phone, whose photographic quality pleasantly surprised me. Incidentally, unlike Altego II and Breksell, I didn't have a drone to film Opale in these magnificent landscapes, but I've since acquired one.

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Bear in mind that it's best to arrive in Alaska (Aleutian Islands) in the second half of September at the latest, as the weather in the Bering Sea can be very difficult thereafter.

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Finally, the silence, the wide open spaces, the feeling of immensity all around, are without doubt the strongest memories we brought back from this crossing.The real interest in terms of navigation lies essentially on the Greenland coast, which is the most extraordinary for its landscapes, making it worth the trip in itself. Navigation and scenery are also very interesting in Nunavut, i.e. on the first part of the Northwest Passage itself, between Lancaster Sound and Cambridge Bay, as far as Gjøa Haven. After that, the north coast of Alaska, between Cambridge Bay and Nome, is rather flat, even uninteresting, with lots of headwinds and featureless landscapes, and therefore few prospects in terms of visual emotion and, moreover, a certain paucity of stopovers. This is why, from the point of view of the interest of navigation itself, it is important to plan, as we said earlier, a fairly broad general calendar for the expedition, which will enable us to position ourselves sufficiently far in advance, both to take full advantage of the Greenland coastline, which really deserves it and can be a goal in itself, and to be sure of being in the zone at the right time, i.e. from the end of July, with the hope of actually crossing the hard zone around mid-August. Bear in mind that it's best to arrive in Alaska (Aleutian Islands) no later than the second half of September, as the weather in the Bering Sea can be very difficult after that.

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‍And to conclude?

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‍Marcand Bénédicte provide further proof that it is possible for yachtsmen to triumph aboard their sailboat over the Northwest Passage, a route shrouded in myth, a fertile factor in the maritime imagination at the same time as being guilty of a number of tragedies. It's also a chance to prove wrong those wise men of antiquity who, like Virgil, saw in the northern confines marked by the "ultimate lands" of "Ultima Thule" (a name taken up by Jean Malaurie), the limits of the man-made world, beyond which the unknown reigned, and whose mere evocation still today opens up an immense territory of dreams.

This success has not convinced Marc and Bénédicte that they have joined an elite caste, a club of "happy few" who have achieved unrivalled feats. As Marc Pédeau made clear during a presentation on this voyage in December 2019 to the community of owners of sailboats built by the Grand Large Yachting group: he is here to pass on and share his experience in all simplicity, and far be it from him to pose as a lesson-giver who would benefit in any way from his considerable experience of Arctic sailing.

It would be just as wrong to think that Marc and Bénédicte's attraction to the Septentrion (1) is exclusive.

Thus, this crossing of the North-West Passage was part of a navigation with a much broader scope, as expressed by Marc in October 2019 in an e-mail to Grand Large Services, the entity specializing in services for sailors, notably in charge of supporting customers of the Allures Yachting shipyard :

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"Over a period of 15 months, we will have reached Cape Verde (via Galicia, Portugal, Madeira, the Canaries), crossed the Atlantic between Cape Verde and Martinique, sailed the Caribbean islands, visited Cuba, then reached the USA via the Bahamas, sailed up the west coast of the USA via New York, sailed through Maine, Nova Scotia, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, Newfoundland, then Greenland before completing the Northwest Passage: a total of 16,000 miles". The message concludes: "I'd also like to thank you for your help and responsiveness at various stages of the project: sending equipment, advice, and working on the possibility of fitting a propeller protection for the ice (which we didn't install in the end)".

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Likewise, Marc and Bénédicte's next sailing project has already been established, and it involves a clear departure from the Far North, although it is currently being constantly postponed due to a health crisis, with the result thatOpale, at the time of writing, was still stuck at Sand Point. This future experience can be summed up in a few words and a lot of miles: starting from Alaska, which they plan to cover in great detail, they will then be able to sail along the American West Coast and, from San Francisco, aim for Mexico, Polynesia and New Zealand. From there, they'll cross the South Pacific to Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula.

It's hardly surprising to find Antarctica high on Marc and Bénédicte's list of destinations aboard their Allures 44. For this white continent, even reduced to the tongue of land that is the Antarctic Peninsula facing Patagonia, accumulates almost mythical references in the imagination of every sailor - real or dreamt. This magic of the Deep South is particularly evident in books, from the account of Ernest Shackleton and his crew's odyssey aboard theEndurance between 1911 and 1914, to the pages of Gérard Poncet and Jérôme Janichon who, aboard the famous Damien, set out in 1969 on a 55,000-mile voyage more concerned with personal accomplishment than sporting performance, eschewing any heroic aims in the image of their contemporary Bernard Moitessier. These same Poncet and Janichon were the first modern sailors to cover a range of latitudes from 80° North to 68° South, and aficionados were delighted to see them again in La Rochelle, alongside their restored Damien, at the latest Grand Pavois, in September 2019, as Opale sailed to Sand Point, Alaska.

Whether extreme latitudes are southern or northern, they are endowed with an exceptional power of attraction. The sea spray of the open ocean, the dream of the poles and the infinitely varied nuances of ice, though endangered everywhere, are a perfect match. Many thanks to Marc Pédeau and Bénédicte Michel for taking us there, sharing with us this story and these images, which make a splendid contribution to enriching our imagination of blue water cruising.

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(1) Septentrion: Latin designation referring to the "seven oxen" - septem triones - which, in ancient Roman tradition, formed the circumpolar constellation of the northern hemisphere, now known as the Great Bear. Source : https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/septentrion

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