Crew Wanted: Crew wanted to sail the Northwest Passage

[SkipPeters]

Sailing to the Northwest Passage aboard a beautifully maintained Nauticat 43 (Sparkman & Stephens design). Departing about May 10th, 2023, with arrival in Boston about October 15, 2023.

[Augusto1967]

I m interested
mill3nniuma4@gmail.com

[JC Reefer]

Wow interesting trip.

[fullsail]

I am interested in more details. This could be an amazing adventure. Where is the starting point?

[SkipPeters]

The boat will leave from Anacortes or Blaine, Washington. What is your name and where are you located?

[Scorpius]

What's your background? Do you know what you are getting into? (I've been through the NW passage - but not on a sailboat).

[Sailor Greg]

Hello,

This sounds like a very interesting trip.

I (and I am sure others) am interested. It would be helpful if you provided more public information. This would help others to decide if this trip is for them or not, thereby reducing the # of back and forth messages.

What is your experience? Have you done this trip before?

Who else is crewing?

What safety equipment is on board? AIS? Radar? Do you have on board connection to up to date information from the Canadian Ice Service? EPIRB? Life raft has current inspection?

Is the boat specifically equipped for high latitudes? Dark hull. Insulation. Heaters. Enclosed helm I assume since it is a cat. Heated while underway?

Paid? Contribution? Airfare reimbursement? What are the financial arrangements?

The trip as described is long. What time commitment do you want from crew? Can people crew on just certain segments?

Do you have an itinerary?

Sorry for all the questions, but anyone interested in this trip would need to know this information.

I have 26k nm delivery experience including some in the North Sea and off the Canadian Maritimes. I much prefer higher latitude sailing. Excellent references. Calm cool demeanor conducive to long passages in confined spaces with strangers. Pretty good cook too. Sailing CV available.

Thanks for reading

[Scorpius]

Recognize that a catamaran collects ice floes between the hulls rather than shedding them as a monohull does. This could be a real problem early in the trip as you try to get around Point Barrow and across the North Slope and Beaufort Sea. With a mini-icebreaker (a Gulf of St. Lawrence buoy tender) and with the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Sir Wilfred Laurier escorting, it was very late in July before we could get around Point Barrow and it was slow going across the North Slope and Beaufort Sea due to ice conditions.

[Scorpius]

Sorry, it's probably NOT a cat. Sailor Greg suggested it was and I took that at face value. I should have checked.

[skipperpete]

There is a really good book called “The new Northwest Passage” by an intrepid cruiser called Cameron Dueck about his travels and tribulations in the Arctic, a very informative read and also apparently now a documentary film. Not seen the doco but the book was a real armchair adventure for me.
Lots of genuine useful info for anyone considering doing the NWP.

[Kd9truck]

That sounds like a great trip,
It is amazing that climate change has made this possible but how and why was it a passage established so long ago? It was a different time I guess.
I have slept and worked in negative temps everything breaks bring extras of everything.
Good luck Mate

[bullislandken]

Nauticats are built in Finland and are primarily motorsailors. Very decent quality and they fit in a lot in those designs. The 33 is quite making for it’s length. I have also been impressed by the 33 and 44. I am not sure about a 43.

Can the OP give us more info on the vessel?

[SkipPeters]

Sailor Greg, I am grateful for your interest. I have sailed about 40,000 miles. I have not done the NW passage. But I have recently read several books that describe the trip. I have a recently purchased yacht that I believe is quite capable of making the trip. The trip will take approximately 6 months. I am looking for crew to do the whole thing. A Nauticat is a monohull built in Norway, capable of Arctic conditions. I expect crew members to pay their own way. Skip

[SkipPeters]

A Nauticat is monohull built in Norway for high latitudes.

[SkipPeters]

The 43 foot Nauticat is a Sparkman and Stephens design. It is way more impressive than the 44 footer.