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Vagabond achieved the first polar circumnavigation
15:17 p.m. EDT Sep 26, 2003
While crossing the Davis Strait on 20th of September, Vagabond reached the Labrador Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Her crew is proud and happy today of her success through the North-West Passage, following her success through the North-East Passage, the 2 arctic routes that link the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
-"Sailing these 2 famous passages one after the other, each one without wintering and without any ice-breaker assistance, is a first in the sailing history. Our emotions were worthy of the adventure" the team told Royal Geographic Society from Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, on 23rd September.
The team further reports: Heavy ice conditions this year in the Arctic. Polar Bound and Dagmar Aaen seem to be trapped for the whole winter in the dangerous Franklin Strait, where we waited for 8 days before being able to force our way further, we were then only 50 nautical miles ahead of them. The Canadian ice-breaker Pierre Radisson could not help them last week, the ice pressure was already too strong.
In Russia, the Chelyuskin Cape remained surrounded with a lot of ice over the summer, the sail boat Campina will spend the winter in Tiksi and will try to complete the North-East Passage next year.
We hope to reach Saint-Quay-Portrieux, our home port, before 15th October.
On 31st August 2002, Vagabond crossed Bering Strait and became the first yacht to sail the North-East Passage without wintering, and without ice breaker. The Vagabond next sailed the North-West Passage, the sea route going from Bering Strait to Greenland, via Alaska and Canada.
Image of Vagabond courtesy of http://vagabond.piem.org
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