Record of travel around the southern continent

Many think that number seven is lucky. The seventh day of February happened to be exactly that. It's been seven weeks since we dropped the lines in Cape Town; the sea of ​​Amundsen was the seventh Antarctic sea we would cross; and the seventh storm of the journey was approaching soon.

In recent days, we have been sailing along the 70th parallel. With the humidity in the air, Katharsis II covered with ice, which began to form on the guys, the mast and the ropes. The icy summit of the mast looked like a decorated Christmas tree. The wind transducer has stopped working. These obstacles have hindered our ability to navigate and make decisions.

For a week, visibility was limited to a few hundred meters. In fact, this has often been reduced to a few boat lengths. We were navigating in a milky fog, accompanied only by snowstorms, and we often had to shovel the snowy powder from the bridge.

As for icebergs, they seemed older and therefore more disintegrated, while appearing less frequently than in East Antarctica, and were covered with ice. Our eyes get tired looking for icy shadows emerging on the surface of the sea.

It is a much easier task now that we no longer have the protective cap, which greatly limits visibility. It was completely destroyed by a violent wave during a previous storm in the Ross Sea. Therefore, we had to dismount it. But now, that means we have nothing to protect us from icy bullets, but we have at least a second little dodger to protect the descent.

Our lucky seven brought drier air, the ice begins to melt and even the wind instruments have started to work again. At around 10 pm, Hanna, who is a quarter, suggests that we reef the sails. We sailed with a second reef in all.

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The sea is rather calm and the wind instruments say it blows at 25 knots. I think we could still wait, especially given the weather, which predicts that the wind will not exceed 35 knots. However, barely half an hour later, I have to go back outside. The wind is much stronger than the gauge gauge and as conditions continue to worsen, I decide to drop the main force.

It's the right decision. The wind reaches more than 50 knots and occasionally exceeds 60 knots. The waves begin to accumulate, making it more difficult to maneuver between the icy obstacles.

After only three hours of racing with the storm with the staysail only, we navigate between icebergs. In fact, we are entering a growlers cemetery. Ice is everywhere and it is impossible to navigate around them safely. We can not slow down so we turn into irons to stop. Then we slowly begin to sail against the wind and the huge waves towards a giant iceberg that we had already passed.

We fight for an hour before reaching the shadow of an ice island. Long of a few hundred meters and probably weighing tens of millions of tons, the ice pacifies the waves in its wind, as if it were a port. For five hours we drift on his side. Then, as the wind dropped to 35 knots, we headed back and headed east for our trek around Antarctica.

For years, I had dreamed of touring the Antarctic and in its waters, that is to say, all south of the 60th parallel. In fact, this route is the last significant tabula rasa on the world navigation map.

The two known attempts to get around the Antarctic waters below the 60th parallel ended before reaching the finish line. The first of these took place in 2005, when the Russian yacht Apostol Anrdey lost his rudder around the Ross Sea. After making temporary repairs, the crew was forced to retire to Wellington, New Zealand.

The second attempt, conducted by a Russian-Ukrainian crew on the yacht Scorpius in 2012, ended at the sea of ​​Urville. The yacht suffered significant damage and the crew returned to Hobart.

Proof that this could be done

There was, on the other hand, a successful nonstop circumnavigation of Antarctica over the 60th parallel. The goal, accomplished by Fedor Konyukov aboard the 85ft Alye Parusa in 2008, was recognized by the World Council of Sail Speed ​​Record (WSSRC).

Katharsis II is an Oyster 72, a yacht with fiberglass hull. It is generally thought that this type of construction does not serve well in ice conditions, but several previous expeditions we have made in the area have proved that this intrepid ship handles the polar conditions well.

On our first polar voyage, we sailed along the Antarctic Peninsula, south of the Antarctic Circle. This is the first time we have experienced sudden changes in weather conditions and the proximity of the ice.

For the next expedition, I headed Katharsis II in Greenland and the Arctic, and we have successfully crossed the Northwest Passage. We learned to maneuver between the drifting ice and, in the port of Ilississat in Greenland, we were trapped.

The challenge grew in 2015 with our expedition into the Ross Sea. The pack ice, the southernmost point of water available south of the Ross ice floe, is the Bay of Whales. We arrived a year ago when the ice cap over Antarctica was the largest since its measurement.

To navigate from the Southern Ocean to the open waters of the Ross Sea, we had to cross the ice several times by crossing an ice barrier 100 miles wide. Despite the difficult weather conditions, we reached 78 ° 43'S, 163 ° 43'W. This experience reassured me that with careful navigation, Katharsis II is able to cope with the most difficult things.

To prepare for this record trip, I analyzed the region's previous weather and ice charts. As the Southern Ocean is dominated by strong westerly winds, he encouraged the route in a clockwise direction, although the only motive you can guarantee is the variability of direction and speed winds. The records differed considerably in terms of number of days with low winds (less than 10 knots) and strong winds (greater than 25 knots).

I felt that we would have to fight against weak winds between 15 and 30% of the time and between 15 and 25% of the time with strong winds. But I observed a certain correlation: the colder the Antarctic was during the astral winter, the stronger the winds were the following summer.

The east winds, which are not practical for this route, could accompany us for about a third of the trip. And, although less troublesome in the summer, the ice made the situation more complex. I have paid close attention to changes in ice level in two places, the Ross and Weddell seas.

By entering the Ross Sea, the route can be significantly shortened, but this can rarely be accomplished before the end of January. In turn, drifting ice in the Weddell Sea can reach the South Orkney Islands, that is, beyond the 60th parallel.

The most favorable ice conditions occur in mid-February. This was decisive in determining our starting point – Cape Town – so that we could reach the Weddell Sea by the second half of February at the latest.

I had planned to arrive at Hobart – this added 2,000 more miles to the shorter version of the road, but at the same time, it increased our chances of sailing with the following winds in the waters tumultuous of the Southern Ocean.

We had to start in December 2016. Katharsis II was already waiting for us in Cape Town when my second officer and partner, Hanna Leniec, was diagnosed with breast cancer. This terrible news shocked everyone. I did not think of anything but postponing the trip.

For Hanna, it was a difficult year. Surgery, exhausting chemotherapy and radiation therapy affected his physical condition, but not his mental strength. A year later, she was ready to embark on the difficult veil we dedicated to breast cancer prevention. Hanna has prepared a series of short videos documenting her fight against the disease.

Search expedition

During the expedition, we had planned to conduct several research projects: one on the presence of plastic microparticles in the waters surrounding Antarctica; the other, as part of the international scientific program ARGO on temperature and salt levels, which would require the installation of several buoys. Piotr Kuklinski, professor of oceanology, was responsible for carrying out the scientific project.

In the last eight years, Katharsis II traveled 100 000 miles, so before boarding, we cleared the rig to check it. We replaced the rigging and sails, as well as some electronic components, including radar and chartplotter, so that we had two independent navigation systems.

Above the radar, we installed a thermal camera that would help detect ice when visibility was reduced. We also acquired flexible tanks to take more fuel so we could cross the Southern Ocean by engine if we were dismantled.

All our preparations were aimed at one goal: to be completely autonomous. Apart from the Antarctic Peninsula, which is a tourist destination, we will not be able to count on any outside help. We also prepared to set up a camp in case we had to abandon the yacht.

It was difficult to predict nine crew members for more than 100 days (plus an additional delay in the event of a significant delay). We turned one of the five cabins into a pantry where we could store over 1,200 kg of food (not counting drinks).

We have prepared more than 1,000 servings of dinners, pasteurizing the meat in jars (with a dozen flavor variations). We stocked 80 kg of food in the freezer and hid treats for special occasions, including Christmas, birthdays and other important moments we wanted to celebrate.

We have been particularly attentive to the storage of delicate items such as tomatoes and eggs. Each of the tomatoes was covered with a paper towel, which we changed every other day. We took 522 eggs and had to turn constantly to prevent the yellow sticking to the shell. Finally, our diet was supplemented by freeze-dried dishes, light and easy to prepare.

Around Antarctica

On December 23, 2017, we left Cape Town. A light breeze allowed us to pass the course and cross our starting line, but the wind fell soon after and resulted in really low mileage at first, with just 70 miles traveled. The beginning was not very promising to reach the finish line in Hobart within 100 days.

The main purpose of the trip was to circle around Antarctica south of 60 ° S, but speed was still an important factor as it would allow us to cross the unwelcoming waters more quickly and leave them behind before the Antarctic seas do not freeze again.

We had no problem adapting to the pace of life at sea. We split into four pairs, switching the watch every three hours with three hours of idle time under the bridge. This arrangement gave us time to rest and restore our energy. Each watch was also responsible for preparing the main meal of the day.

After 11 days of sailing, still before Antarctica, we saw our first iceberg: they would accompany us for the next three months. At first they were rare, but a week after entering the Commonwealth Sea, we could see a dozen within six miles.

Sailing off East Antarctica, in the Davis and Mawson seas, we have already had a hundred icebergs in sight. It was a beautiful landscape and the majestic giant sculptures inspired respect.

It's easy to spot an iceberg – even in reduced visibility, an iceberg will send a clear echo on the radar screen. Farmers represent a greater threat to the safety of the yacht and still drift with icebergs. This was our main concern, especially when visibility was limited by snowstorms or during polar nights, which began to lengthen from mid-February.

We crossed latitude 60 ° S on January 5th and sailing in the waters of Antarctica was extremely exciting.

We encountered our first Antarctic storm in the Davis Sea, a storm of such intensity that it questioned the success of our expedition. We barely moved for two days. When our vang boom hydraulic system failed, we had to face this storm with only a staysail.

Winds of more than 50 knots blew from the east and forced us to sail in the wind. We had so much leeway that after 24 hours of navigation, we found ourselves where we started.

We spent the next day drifting in the shadow of an ice floe emerging from the back of the western ice shelf. It was our ally, calm the sea.

We managed to keep our course much closer to the expected course in future storms, regardless of the direction of the wind.

Light winds – especially in the east of Antarctica – posed another problem. Katharsis II is doing pretty well in a weak breeze, despite its weight. But if the wind fell to 4 to 6 knots, we could not exceed 100 miles a day. After traveling a third of the way, we were worried that the trip would take more than 120 days, but fortunately, the winds got up at the beginning of February.

The situation at Weddell Sea was favorable. We sailed along the latitude of 62 ° S, but we could not avoid encounters with drift ice. There are generally a few hundred meters of clean water adjacent to the drifting ice, but on February 25th, we were sailing in an icy area and, as night fell, we realized we were surrounded by this one.

We turned in the wind to slow down to about 2-3 knots and, thanks to our infrared camera, we managed to escape danger a few hours later. We have grazed the ice many times, but thankfully without branching.

We only saw the earth twice and both times the encounter was accompanied by stormy conditions. After 38 days of sailing, we were waiting for a storm in the shadow of the icy Balleny Islands, and we saw penguins for the first time. Until then we were sometimes accompanied by whales and albatrosses.

Three weeks later, shortly after Cape Horn, we saw the majestic Antarctic Peninsula. In the Gerlache Strait, part of our main track came out of the mast during reefing. In the shadow of the Melchior Islands, we managed to replace the damaged runway and resume navigation.

The last storm before closing the loop at the Cosmonauts Sea was one of the worst. The pressure dropped from 960 to 928mb in a few hours. Once again, we were forced to fight the adverse winds and to experience a black and polar night among the icebergs.

I opted for the shortest route that took us through the eye of the cyclone, and although exhausted by the cold and icy snow permanently on our scarves, we we managed to get out without any damage.

Most of the damage we encountered could be repaired or reduced to a minimum … except one. We could not repair our carbon fiber boom, which broke during the storm 1,000 miles before the finish line in Hobart.

Struck by the crest of the wave that swept over us, coming in a direction opposite to all the others, Katharsis II was swept off the course, leading to an uncontrolled crash-jibe. The boom broke out, so we were slowed down to sail under the sails only before.

Complete circuit

On March 20, 2018, we completed our circumnavigation tour of Antarctica. It took us a total of 72 days and 6 hours. We conducted the entire circumnavigation south of latitude 62 ° S, including 25 days of navigation south of the Antarctic Circle. We were filled with satisfaction and relief. We could start sailing towards safer waters, that is, without ice.

We arrived in Hobart on April 5th, after 102 days and 23 hours. Ironically, the stormy weather only dissipated when we reached Storm Bay, Tasmania – it took us 18 hours to cover the last 50 nautical miles.

After almost 103 days of isolation in a confined space, we returned to civilization, but no member of the crew was in a hurry to leave. It talked about the atmosphere we had in our team. We were a group of friends who managed to stay friends. And for me, this is one of the most important achievements of the trip.

Katharsis II"The circumnavigation was carried out in accordance with the rules of the World Speed ​​Sailing Record Council and received the performance certificate n ° 54.

The expedition is also recognized by Guinness World Records as "First Antarctic tour by sailboat south of the 60th parallel."

About the author

Mariusz Koper, 57, is a Polish entrepreneur and a former educational publisher. He traveled 160,000 miles, traveled the world, flew four polar expeditions and participated in the Sydney Hobart race.