Apostol Andrey Arrives in Iceland After Successful NE Passage

Created by jimmy. Last modified on 2002-10-19 10:42:01

Russian yacht arrives in Iceland after successsfully completing Arctic part of the circumnavigation of their voyage. The yacht APOSTOL ANDREY is in Reykjavik, Iceland, where she arrived on October 12. 2002. The skipper Nikolay Litau plans to visit some ports on his way to Saint Petersburg, including Oslo, the capital of Norway.

On September 1, 2002 the yacht Apostol Andrey passed the Beaufort Sea and entered the straits of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The sailing was carried out among the open pack ice force. On September 4, 2002 the yacht entered the Cambridge Bay. On September 9, 2002 the yacht passed the culminate point of the sailing – the Bello Strait and the northern end of America – the Zenit Cape, located at 72° N.

On September 12 the yacht Apostol Andrey stayed in the Depo Bay. In two days the ice conditions sharply changed. The ice started to form over all regions. The Canadian coastal service asked them to return to the Cambridge Bay. But on the next day they received a new message that the ice breaker of the Canadian coastal guards was coming to this region and it would try to lead out the yacht Apostol Andrey and the French yacht Nuage with a women crew under the guidance of Michele Demai. Michele Demai expressed her doubts that a sailing after an icebreaker would influence their sport result. But Nikolay Litau, who already had such an experience in the North East Passage, objected to this opinion saying that a sailing on a yacht after an icebreaker requires much more skills than just a solo sailing along open water.

On September 16, 2002 the yachts under the guidance of an icebreaker passed the Prince Regent Inlet.

On September 17 the yacht Apostol Andrey reached the most northern point of its sailing – 74°20’ N. At the same day the icebreaker completed its mission.

On September 19, 2002, after sailing through the Lancaster Sound, the yacht Apostol Andrey arrived in the Baffin Bay – the Canadian Arctic Archipelago was passed. The skipper of the yacht Apostol Andrey wrote in his diaries that seamen and meteorologists estimate the ice conditions in the waters of the Canadian Arctic this year as being abnormally hard.

The further route was clear of ice, but there started icing of rigging. They crossed the Baffin Sea with a crosswind in 4 days. On September 26, 2002 they crossed the border of the North Polar circle. On October 1, 2002 after a short stay the yacht Apostol Andrey left Godthob, Greenland, and took a course to Iceland.

Vyacheslav Venidiktov