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 LIFE ON BOARD

Sailing has ever since been a great way to voyage and to explore, affording lots of flexibility thanks to its independence.

The Nanuq voyages are not only taylored for sailors, but for all those who love nature and to visit new places. The boat operates around the clock with a small crew. Depending on experience and capabilities all crew members get to become acquainted with all aspects of running a sailboat: helming and manoeuvring of course, but also working out the current position of the boat, obtaining weather forecasts, carrying out repair work, planning the route to follow, cooking and planning the supplies... well, all things that make sailing so interesting.


Sailing

We sail on average 12 h/day, frequently during the night - if sun sets. We do of course make every effort to avoid storms and dangerous conditions but apart from that, we sail no matter whether the sun shines or not. The boat can be steered from the protected cockpit, which makes taking a watch with poor weather a far more comfortable experience than on most sailing boats. We use paper charts, and position the boat as a rule using dead-reckoning. The boat is equiped with a radar and sonar. Although there is a GPS onboard, it is used mainly for anchor watches. The other 12 h/day are available for visits on land.

Watches

Watches typically last 2 hours. A watch involves up to 3 persons, depending on the size and the experience of the crew. While the boat is run by those on watch, the others can sleep so that the boat remains active around the clock. This is particularly convenient in the North, where the sun doesn't really set in summer.

Life on board

Life on board is necessarily simple - there is no fridge (which would anyhow be useless in the North), no electric pumps, no warm running water. There are 1 toilet and 1 bathroom with warm water beeing prepared in the kitchen in advance.

The boat has two double-cabins with an extra berth and a big crew cabin for 4, plus 2 backup berths. Located close to the centre of gravitiy of the boat, the berths are designed to make rest on sea as comfortable as possible. Even big persons are confortable with berths beeing at least 2m in length. Every person has an assigned berth. The distribution is made according to common sense or arrangement. If required, rotations can be made during the leg. For a small extra fee, there is possibility to reserve a specific berth.

Science on board

During the voyage, various scientific missions will accompany the crew: observations, sampling, deployment of equipment, etc. These are activities that will punctuate the days by contributing to the knowledge of the Arctic world. The Science page gives details of some of the activities.

The Association

The Nanuq projects are organised by the non-profit organisation ACAPELA. All participants are member of ACAPELA and pay to ACAPELA the entry and membership fees as well as the cost of the travel. In turn ACAPELA organises the boat, insures it, ensures that wear to the boat is repaired and buys equipment and charts as needed. The club does not pay food, harbour fees, canal fees, travel by the members to and from the ports of call etc. These expenses are as appropriate either payed directly by the members or shared amongst them.


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acapela - June 2020