The Northwest Passage is a maritime space located in the Arctic Ocean between the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay to the east and the Beaufort Sea to the west. And since its discovery in 1497 following the hypothesis of its existence by the navigator John Cabot, it took 1906 and the expedition led by the Norwegian navigator Roald Amundsen for the mythical passage to be crossed!
400 years of attempts, failures, human losses and shipwrecks! And even today, few can claim to have crossed it under sail. Yet the attempts are numerous. The proof, this summer 2018, they are no less than 6 to go there. Solo, duo or crew, it will be a hustle and bustle in the Northwest Passage..
Crossing the Arctic by sail
Departing on June 19, 2018 from Alaska, Sébastien Roubinet and his two sidekicks - Eric André and Vincent Colliard - will cross for three months the Arctic Ocean under sail . So yes, it's not the North-West Passage - which he already did in 2007 on Babouche -, but a crossing of the North Pole between Alaska and Spitzbergen on a hybrid catamaran/iceboat proto capable of sailing on water, but also on the ice pack.
The objective? During this expedition, the trio will carry out field studies on the ice of the Arctic Ocean, analyze the impact of human beings on the Arctic environment and study the physiology and psychology of humans in the polar environment. But above all, through this expedition called The Pole Way, the crew hopes to make the first Arctic Ocean crossing by sail.
The Northwest Passage under sail without assistance and without stopover
Clara Dumard, 24 years old and a student in pharmacy, can boast that sailing is in her blood. Indeed, her father is none other than the router Christian Dumard, who has followed several great sailors and great sailing races. And it is with him that she will launch herself in the crossing of the Northwest Passage The race will be carried out non-stop on board a Sun Fast 37, a monohull of 11 meters in length.
Even if Christian Dumard has already crossed it virtually by guiding some sailors, among whom Yvan Bourgnon who recently realized this challenge on his sport catamaran (but with stopover and assistance), this idea is really his daughter's.
The objective? To link Greenland - Baffin Bay - to Canada - the Bering Strait - without touching the engine or making a stopover in 5 weeks. Leaving on July 4 from Cherbourg, they left Nuuk this August 8, 2018 to reach the Arctic Circle which will be their starting line.
While trying to beat this record, the Dumards will also carry values of solidarity with the foundation Plan International France, which works for the rights of girls in the world.
The Northwest Passage on a solar-powered boat
Sailor Anne Quéméré (several transatlantic and Pacific crossings) left the Canadian port of Inuvik on July 6, 2018 for a 3500 km voyage in the Beaufort Sea on the Icade Solarboat, a solar-powered prototype with an aerodynamic shape and a planing hull designed to ensure a perfect balance between speed and a good passage through the water.
The objective? To make the first solar polar crossing while building a great human adventure.
Unfortunately for the sailor, the expedition came to an abrupt end in early August due to a 47-knot nor'easter off Clinton Point that violently threw her boat onto the rocky coast. Still in one piece, but too damaged to continue the adventure, Anne Quéméré decided to stop there, rescued by "a small team of scientists who recovered it on the fly, before the expedition turned tragic."
