A dream to realize
Steven has always sailed. For a few years, an idea has been in his head. "I've been thinking about this trip and heading to the Arctic for a long time. I love to travel and somewhat extreme adventures."
As a sailing instructor, he knew a lot of sailing boats. He had already bought one several years before: "I bought a First 27 in late 2014. Then, I went on a trip with it to Gibraltar. After skimming a few galleys and in particular thanks to a meeting, I decided to go and live off my passion in sailing school."
A sailboat abandoned on the quays of Morlaix
To go to the North Pole, you need a solid sailboat, which is not afraid of ice. And that, Steven knows. "Since 2018 I've been looking at boats from time to time, to see which one might match my projects. While passing through Morlaix, I passed by a boat that had been abandoned for almost ten years. It was particularly dirty, but it made me dream when I saw its shape. It is a Chatam 40 on a Caroff plan. The owner had bought the plans, then brought them to a yard in Eastern Europe. The motorization and fitting out were then done in Brittany."
An all-terrain sailboat
"It's a tank of the seas." Steven describes a steel exploration boat, solid and above all capable of going up against the ice. Although it is not an icebreaker! He hasn't tried this boat yet, but he was on his little brother, a Chatam 34, during a navigation. In calm weather, it worked very well. However, Steven is prepared for what lies ahead. A bi-safran of fifteen tons, 12 meters long and 4.2 meters wideâeuros¦ "It goes upwind very badly and is a horror for harbor maneuvers."
Steven has a lot of work to do. "There was a windvane gear and a pilot to repair, the log sounder to change, the VHF to changeâeuros¦ The GPS was working! I have nine sails on the other hand, although I have not yet tested any of them. I have a self-tacking staysail that I may remove in the future. For now, I'd like to add a piece of sail outside to put a big canvas up front."
A lot of work has already been done on the hull: sandblasting, painting and antifouling. The investment is substantial: more than 5,000 euros. Steven chose cuppercoat for his antifouling. An investment that should prove to be profitable in the long term, he should be able to last a good ten years with a good maintenance.
An interior to be reorganized
Steven is planning some interior remodeling of the boat. "The dunnage is huge, but the livability awesome. The saloon was top notch. I'm not touching it I'm just going to have to change the fridge and sink to put in a large tub."
In the front a cabin, and in the back another one. But Steven quickly decided to divide this cabin into two separate sleeping areas. At the tip of the boat, there is a storage space accessible from the forward cabin. Steven is particularly pleased with the deck saloon which makes the interior very bright.
Steven's to-do list is still very long, he even wants to build a wood stove for his sailboat! While waiting to explore Greenland, Alaska and British Columbia, Steven hopes to make his first trip in February with Libertalia.
