Cruising

Jamcat - The Northwest Passage? It’s just on hold!

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Article published on 03/02/2023

By Gilles Ruffet

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published inn°188mar. / apr.

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Having set out on a first attempt to sail through the Northwest Passage last summer, Jamcat finally had to turn back due to what the ice charts were saying, and the late winter of 2022 in the area.

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Who: Agnès and Régis
Where: The Northwest Passage!!
Multihull: Lazzi 1402
Facebook : Jamcat

During the last summer, Jamcat sailed more than 5,000 miles, which was a great human and technical challenge. We sailed to Ireland, Scotland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland. We only encountered a few sailboats, and we were the only catamaran in Greenland. Sailing in these high latitudes far from «civilization» represents a real commitment for the crew, but also for those who had to help us in case of problems. Above all, we had to put together a competent crew. All along the route, we were accompanied by professional and passionate skippers. I had to make sure that the boat was solid, and that the equipment was reliable, (as often not replaceable), in order to avoid possible breakdowns. The boat could not be too heavy in order to remain ‘seaworthy’ and fast enough to anticipate any harsh weather conditions. We thought that global warming could be beneficial to us, not only for the Northwest Passage (NWP) but also to be able to start our journey at the end of spring in good weather conditions. This was not really the case and by the end of the Channel crossing, we already appreciated having a good heating system on board and good warm and waterproof watchkeeping clothes. Wind, rain and fog were often our daily routine, and the breaks in the weather were much appreciated as they allowed us to discover the scenery as we approached the coasts with their fjords, snow-capped mountains or icebergs in Greenland. In 2017, 33 boats had been able to transit through the NWP including icebreakers, freighters and some cruise ships. In 2018, only two had managed to pass through and a third had sunk, crushed by the ice. In 2020, the passage remained closed due to Covid and in 2021, the sea ice did not melt sufficiently during the summer, its minimum area having been the largest of the last seven years. In view of the late winter of 2022 and the ice charts at the end of July, attempting the passage seemed too risky, so we preferred to bring Jamcat back to Brittany. In the end, only one vessel was able to squeeze through from East to West. A major haulout of the boat is planned between now and the summer of 2023 to make sure that we will be ready to leave again.

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