Sailing Catamaran LIBELLULE makes if official as the first catamaran to complete an east to west Northwest Passage

Bering Strait – HHUURRAAYY !!!
PC
10/09/2013, Bering Strait, on the International Date Line between Alaska and Siberia



This morning Sep 10th, we crossed the Arctic Circle at 10:57 LTC (18:57 UTC).

This afternoon Sep 10th, we crossed Bering Strait at 17:50 LTC (01:50 UCT on Sep 11th).

With this, we have officially finished the North West Passage from East (Arctic Circle in Davis Strait) to West (Arctic Circle just north of Bering Strait) after 4,000 nm (appr 7,500km) across the Arctic waters and ice of Greenland, Canada and Alaska.

The sun was shining, for the first time since Herschel Island/Canada, and we could clearly see Siberia on our starboard side and Alaska on our port side. We navigated between Big Diomede Island (Russia) and Little Diomede Island (USA), probably carefully monitored by Coast Guards on both sides. Due to a reef just off Little Diomede Island, we had to navigate a few miles into Siberian territory, and by doing so, not only crossed the international sea border, but also the official date line. So we went from Tuesday to Wednesday, and back to Tuesday, which was fun, of course. And duly celebrated with our last beer and our last bottle of rum...

YYIIEEHHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Now we are on our way to Nome (another 130 nm), where we will officially clear into the US, and where half of the crew will leave the boat (before the rest of the crew will head off to Dutch Harbor and Hawaii). We have just spotted a walross colony on nearby Fairway Rock. Life is beautiful...


Approaching Bering Strait
PC
10/09/2013, Bering Strait, Little and Big Diomede Island


5 nm to go !