On 26th September 2011 the Royal Huisman-built 36m explorer MY Arcadia completed her east-west transit of the Northwest Passage – only the 159th vessel to do so in the 108 years since records began.
Especially remarkable, Arcadia is no steel-bound ice breaker but an elegant luxury yacht, constructed from aluminium, with some components fabricated in carbon composite. She was always envisaged by her owner as a globe-trotting gentleman’s yacht with the ability to go anywhere in comfort and style. Her Tony Castro design certainly alludes to high latitudes and explorer tendencies – a visual heritage that Arcadia has evidently been eager to live up to in real life.
Taking her departure from Christianshab, Greenland, on 2nd September, Arcadia crossed the Baffin Sea to Pond Inlet where she commenced her transit on the 5th September. Under the command of Captain James Pizzaruso, Arcadia’s owner and guests experienced a stunning passage that included numerous polar bear sightings, fine and challenging weather and some exhilarating shore-side hiking.
Arcadia covered a total of 3,278 nautical miles, of which 1,587 were completed between Ilulissat and Cambridge Bay, and a further 1,691 between Cambridge bay and Nome, Alaska. The route from Pond Inlet took in Bylot Island, Devon Island, Prince Leopold Island, Fort Ross (Somerset Island), through Bellot Strait to Jenny Lind Island, Cambridge Bay (Victoria Island) and on to Nome Island via Banks Island, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea and Bering Sea.
Before Arcadia departed for her adventorous high latitude cruise, she made preparations at the yard taking advantage of the huisfit program for general and mechanical service work, upgrades to computer and navigation systems and minor cosmetic repairs. Details of ‘huisfit’ can be accessed via this direct link or a digital brochure of the huisfit program can be found here: www.royalhuisman.com/huisfit.
The Royal Huisman team offer their warmest congratulations to Arcadia’s owner, captain and crew for this exceptional achievement. For more photos of this event please visit the NEWS section of the Royal Huisman website.
More photos and information about the motor yacht Arcadia can be found via this link.