Posted: Jul 09, 2009 08:15 am EST
(TheOceans.net) The sailboat Baloum Gwen with a mostly French crew is attempting a west to east crossing in the icy waters of the Northwest Passage. In 2008 the boat crossed this Passage from east to west. At the moment the boat and crew are anchoring in the West in Wainwright, Northern Alaska.

From Europe to Alaska

The “Arctic Calling” Northwest Passage west-east crossing voyage was launched in the beginning of June.

On her way to the North, the French boat ported at St Paul Island, Alaska, from where they headed to Nome, sailed through the Bering Sea, crossed the Arctic Circle and sailed into the Chukchi Sea.

In the Bering Sea the stopped near Little Diomede Island just inside the Arctic Circle. Some of the crew got on a dinghy to go to the island. Thierry Fabing (the expedition leader and owner of the boat) stayed on board as the anchor was slightly drifting.

The locals indicated the dinghy riders a spot to come on shore, “a narrow small way in between various stones and waves…the sea and currents were strong,” reported Patrick Reader. The waves were rough and made the dinghy go anywhere. Some of the crew fell in the icy water. They decided to pull back.

Patrick said there were millions of birds flying around the island and it looked like a breathtaking spot for birdwatchers.

Wainwright, Alaska

The boat is in Wainwright at the moment. It is a small Inuit village of around 750 inhabitants. The crew plan to leave on Saturday. One of the reasons why they wait for the weekend is that they need to take into account winds and ice charts.

Patrick explained, “The winds are coming too much from the North and we would prefer South winds to bring us directly to next stops. Forecast charts are announcing South and West winds in the coming days…looks ideal.”

“It seems Ice is drifting from North to the coastline between Barrow and Wainwright, so we must be really cautious…the least. Ice charts are indicating ice exposure from 2 to 7 in front of Barrow.” Their next destination is Barrow north of Wainwright.

The 15-meter sailboat ‘Baloum Gwen’ (White Whale in Bretagne language), is attempting to cross the Northwest Passage from West (Alaska) to East (Baffin Island) in the summer of 2009. In 2008 the boat managed to successfully cross the Northwest Passage from East to West.

2009 Crewmembers:
Thierry Fabing - 24/03/1948 France: Expedition leader & owner of the expedition sailing yacht ‘Baloum Gwen’. Thierry has 34 years of professional navigation & sailing expertise. Thierry succeeded last summer the crossing from East to West of the icy Northwest Passage.
Patrick Reader – 02/09/1968 - Belgium/ UK: Media, Partners & Projects Expedition Coordinator.
Arielle Corre - 21/07/1954 – France: As from 1973, Arielle has been sailing around the world & has discovered some wonderful sailing.
Eric John - 19/05/1963 – France: Eric is an aeronautical engineer as well as a skipper.
Aline Penitot - 03/07/1974 – France: Aline is a sailing instructor & achieving several sailing adventures.
Gilles Durand - 61 years – France: Gilles was a teacher in maths and has been also owner of small sailing boats, as well has done some competition on snipe sailboat.
Hélène Virlogeux - 03/03/1946 – France: Hélène knows the sailboat ‘Baloum Gwen’ well as she did the crossing from Redon in France to Qaqortoq in Greenland.

The voyage website stated, “The risks for a sailboat to traverse these cold waters remain considerable and depend on a number of factors: drifting ice, currents, rough seas, fog, frozen winds, cold temperatures, getting trapped by forming ice, reaction of the sailboat (mechanical breakdowns) and its crew to the extreme environment (concentration, fatigue, psychological reaction to the midnight sun) plus logistical problems (sails, maps, instruments).”

The Northwest Passage is a sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans along the coast of Northern Canada.
Some history:
- The first to navigate these waters were the Inuits...
- In 1490, Jean Cabot hypothesized that the North-West passage led directly to the Orient.
- Since the 16th Century, Europeans have made several attempts to explore the Northwest Passage in order to develop a maritime passage that would facilitate trade with Asia. The Arctic becomes an obstacle. These expeditions continue for over 300 years.
- 100 years ago, Amundsen became the first to navigate the Northwest Passage, from 1903 to 1906, on Gjöa.
- Since then, several sailboats and other vessels have successfully completed the passage.

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