On Sunday, July 29, 2018, Austrian skipper Norbert Sedlacek set off at the helm of his 60-foot An Artic Lab for a totally atypical circumnavigation. Indeed, this sailor wants to cross the North West Passage before heading south to the Horn and starting the Antarctic tour (passage of the 3 capes) before heading back to Les Sables!
A very short preparation
For this unusual challenge, he built a basalt fiber sailboat with a double hull and a reinforced bow capable of facing the ice. The boat was launched one month before the departure. Very optimistic, the sailor told us on the day of the christening of the boat: "I think we are really ready". However, the few sea outings off Sables-d'Olonne were done in good weather, as the boat had not yet encountered any rough conditions (strong wind) since her launch.
Turnaround after 2 days
And it was obviously too little to make it reliable. Indeed, two days after his departure, Norbert Sedlacek announced that he was turning back and returning to port. Reasons: too many technical problems to solve that could jeopardize the project. According to him, the boat has "an impressive sailing potential, even in heavy weather. However, there are several technical equipment that are not yet mature enough for the conditions to be faced".
Project postponed for one year
Given the constraints of the North West Passage, which is only passable for a few days a year in the heart of summer, and given the number of points to be validated, the team has decided to postpone the start until next year. Ant Artic Lab will therefore return to its pontoon in Les Sables-d'Olonne for some time (it is expected to be there on Saturday, August 4, 2018). It is too early to know if this year, the sailboat will register in another program, but it is sure that the crew will try to sail in order to make it reliable.
