We LOVE wind power! And we LOVE to sail this incredible vessel! The s/v ArcticEarth is a Good Hope 56′. The boat is specifically designed, built, and inspected for Arctic waters. All systems are simple, manual, and repairable far from boatyards.
The vessel accommodates as many as six expeditioners, plus a captain and mate. The spacious forward private cabin sleeps 4 people in built-in single berths. The midship starboard cabin can sleep up to 2 more. The aft cabin is for the captain and mate. Blanketed with ample 64mm closed cell insulation, the extra dry toasty warmth is provided by a reliable Refleks heater and radiators fore and aft. A large and well-provisioned galley supports a range of fresh food and hearty meals to be enjoyed around the dining settee, located in the pilothouse.
Vessel Views
Above: The open cockpit (w/ optional table) leads to a step-down transom that offers water level entry, T-ladder, and hot shower & equipment rinse for scuba ops.
Above: Mast steps lead aloft to a secure “ice lookout” perch at the first spreaders. Eight solar panels charge state-of-the-art batteries.
Above: The pilothouse has 360° visibility, with a nav station, remote autohelm, and expansive electrical panel.
The Onboard Experience
This vessel is operated with the expectation of full participation from everyone on board: helming, changing sail, prepping and cleaning meals w/ family style sit down lunches and dinners, socializing, standing watch, and keeping private cabins and vessel shipshape. An engaged, respectful, and positive attitude is expected -indeed required- on a 56′ vessel in isolated settings. This tone will best realize the individual and group goals of each expedition; whether those goals be media production, science, or exploration of culture and nature. The captain reserves the final authority to adjust crew, vessel responsibilities, and itinerary to maintain an environment of mutual respect, supportive collaboration, comfort, and safety.
Menus are mostly vegetarian, though we do have a fondness for the ample local fish that can be caught mostly anywhere we go. The vessel is run as a “dry ship” at all times when at sea, and at anchorages when there is a possibility of having to haul anchor with short notice and sail on.
Supported Activities & Extras
Every expedition includes these supported activities: sailing & piloting, shore excursions, all meals, dockage & moorings, and permits. Vessel and tank support services for scuba diving are also included in the core charter.
Extra onboard and shoreside activities can be arranged, with advance notice: specific inter-cultural experiences in both outports and capital cities, guiding climbing & mountaineering adventures, alpine touring & backcountry skiing. We can also offer gear rental and services for a range of media production and research activities: aerial mapping, aerial cinematography, surface cinematography, underwater cinematography, underwater acoustic monitoring and recording, water and organism sampling, species identification w/ onboard low magnification microscopes. Gear specifics are listed below and upon inquiry.
For many of these activities, inter-community collaborations are strongly encouraged and—in many places—essential. Consultation concerning special permits is available, on request.
Above: A light-filled and spacious galley -secure offshore- has a cozy adjacent reading “nook” for 1 or 2 people to warm up next to the Refleks stove.
“The best dive ladder I’ve ever used!” -veteran Underwater DP Nick Caloyianis
Above: Note the forepeak with fixed workbench, shower, and walk-in storage of boat gear and expedition gear. The forward sleeping cabin is one single room with 4 single berths. Each berth has ample storage space for its occupant’s personal clothing and gear, plus a sleeper-car style privacy curtain.
Below: The midship cabin on the starboard side can be flexibly configured: as a single berth, a double berth, two side-by-side single berths, or even as a dedicated watch changing gear cabin when offshore. The outer single can also be configured as a 2- meter-long work area, suitable for table-top organization of expedition gear. Gear stowage is accessible in large cabinets with sliding and hinged doors directly below the single berth. Additional gear and cases (Pelican cases, coolers for samples, etc.) can be securely tied in directly below the work area.
Specifications
Above: The forward sleeping cabin has four built-in berths with optional lee boards, sleeper-car style privacy curtains, and a central radiator to keep everything dry and cozy warm!
Above: keel and rudder can quickly swing up to a 3’2″ draft. This allows safe piloting of uncharted shoals, access to shallow anchorages, and repairs on remote beaches. A simple & powerful industrial truck winch hoists the keel.
Above and Below: s/v ArcticEarth’s Bombard Commando C3 inflatable with a 2022 4-stroke 9.9hp Yamaha and chafe guard (above). Advanced Elements 15-foot inflatbale kayak that can be configured for single or tandem paddlers (below).
Builder: Jacobs Bros in Cape Town, S. Africa
Launched: 2016
Designer: Ed Joy of Ed Joy Design and Lyman-Morse
Sisterships: Seal*/ Urchin/ Cu Lir—only 4 vessels of this design
Hull Material: aluminum (5083-h116 1/2″ plating)
Beam: 15’-10”
Draft: 3’2” (keel up), 8’9” (keel down)
LOA: 56’-2”
LWL: 47’ -4”
Ballast: 21,460 lbs.
Sails: Ullman main w/4 slab reef points from cockpit, Ullman staysail hank-on, 110% headsail/ roller furling.
Ground Tackle: Maxwell electric 3500 vertical windlass with capstan, Rocna 121 lb anchor, 400 feet of 1/2″ chain, Fortress FX-55 secondary anchor.
Quality Components: Goiot hatches, Antal hardware, all-Spectra running rigging, Pro-furl roller-furling, Sta-Loc swage-less fittings, Southern Spar mast and boom, Spinlock jammers.
Water: 264 gallons (1,000 liters), plus Spectra Cape Horn watermaker
Engine: John Deere 4045TFM
Fuel: 573 gal diesel (2,000 liters + day tank) and range of 2,000 nautical miles at 7 knots
Electrical: 400 watts solar power, 24v/240v, engine and Sonnenshein house battery banks also charged by high-output API 55i 270A engine alternator, DC/AC throughout, Frensch LED (German quality) with optional red lights.
Safety: The vessel is MECAL inspected according to the rigorous British MGN_280 code, Cat 0. Very few wind-powered vessels are coded as Category 0, which means ArcticEarth is permitted to operate in any ocean on earth. The skipper is RYA-certified as Yachtmaster Ocean Commercial, the highest RYA certification (RYA is the UK’s national governing body for all forms of boating). The second-in-command is a certified RYA Yachtmaster Offshore. Jackline fittings w/ jacklines aere centered on deck, Spinlock 275N Lifejacket/harnesses w/ Ocean Safety AIS/DSC man-overboard beacons, two 8-person VIKING liferafts with SOLAS A packs and thermal insulated floors for coldwater, SOLAS Immersion suits, Cat 1 McMurdo EPIRB deckmounted w/ hydrostatic release, Cat 2 McMurdo EPIRB w/ GPS, 8′ x 8′ weighted custom cargo net for man overboard retrieval, all flares and fire extinguishers as required.
Amenities: Refleks heater (with tea pot and toasting plate) tapped into the hot water system for constant hot water in cold climes, refrigerator, below decks hot shower, Dickinson Mediterranean 3-burner gimbaled stove/oven, double sink w/ pressure fresh and foot-pump saltwater faucets.
Navigation & Communications: Crows nest on mast w/steps, Garmin Radar and chartplotter, AIS, Starlink Marine Priority Internet (new in 2024), Iridium-Go satellite communications with Professional PredictWind Route Planning and Oceanographic package, OLEX survey and mapping system (new 2024), ICOM Single-sideband radio, ICOM VHF w/ (3) ICOM handheld radios.
Support vessels: 12’6″ Bombard Commando C3 Inflatable w/ 4-stroke 2022 Yamaha 9.9HP outboard. 11-foot Wavedancer aluminum dinghy (sea lion and walrus proof) with sail rig (not onboard for 2024, 2025 optional). 15-foot Advanced Elements inflatable kayak (new in 2024).
Dive Support: water access through step-down transom to water level mini-platform and T-ladder, mini A-frame over transom for controlled deployment/recovery of cameras and housings/ROVs, etc, air compressor (2025), fresh water gear rinse tub, cockpit fresh hot water shower, wetsuit and drysuit hanging storage, oxygen delivery system.
Ancillary Equipment Support (w/ advance request): CTD units, low-altitude aerial survey drones, microscopes and mounts, mini remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), drop cameras, mini autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), 6k RED Dragon camera, 4k Sony Camera, 4k Panasonic GH4/5 cameras w/ surf housing, MOVI camera stabilizer, RED or GH4/5 underwater camera housings, DJI Mavic Pro 2 drones, Dolphin Hydrophone w/ 30 foot cable, camera jib, mini-dolly, sound package w/wireless and shotgun microphones, climbing and mountaineer gear, onboard screening monitors, extra batteries and chargers, pelican cases & storm gear.