For the crew of the Sarah-Sarah, taking the boat from the East Coast to West Coast, back to her home port, is an act of necessity. Scott always planned to get Sarah-Sarah back to Anacortes, WA to winter over at home, before a future trip back to Circa Marine where her keel was laid for a refit operation. In early May of this year, Sarah-Sarah was in the Florida Keys. He could have taken her home the way he came, through the Panama Canal. It would have been a shorter trip, easier to crew, less expensive, and faster. But Sarah was designed to see the world; all of it. There is no place the FPB series of boats can’t go. Why are we taking the least travelled maritime passage in the world, through the Canadian Arctic? Because we can.
This is not a research trip. It is not a goodwill mission or an education initiative. But we are going anyway and we are going to be in the Arctic, among the ice and fjords and glaciers. And, we are going to have some time on our hands. So we reached out to industry and asked if they wanted us to try out their gear in tough conditions, write reviews, give feedback, and return some very compelling images and video of their equipment among some of the most beautiful and rarely travelled places on earth. We were ignored by most of them and that’s fine, but other’s understood the passage for what it is, an opportunity to see new things and be part of something awesome.
Sarah-Sarah and her crew thank the following sponsors and supporters of this adventure:
Ursuit is a company in Finland that manufactures professional grade drysuits, foul weather gear, life vests, and insulation garments for the military private sector operations around the world. They were extremely generous outfitting the entire crew with all the PPE equipment we would need to handle every possible encountered environmental condition, including an unintentional fall overboard.
Switlik makes the finest marine and aviation life-rafts in the world. This 100 plus year old company has been making rescue and survival equipment for four generations in the U.S. – they have provided Sarah-Sarah with their innovative OPR (Offshore Passage Raft) for use during the trip.
ACR provided laser flares, strobe lights, and an AIS/PLB for each member of the crew. These vital safety devices were must have items for our trip and will provide significant risk mitigation to our crew in the event of a man overboard, allowing the vessel to have an immediate indication of distress and location for each member of the crew. We will also be using Bivy Sticks for Satellite SMS comms while ashore in the arctic.
IWCS Communications provided a waterproof communication system for the vessel that has preformed flawlessly in operation on several critical moments during the inside passage in Greenland and is often used for anchoring operations.
Since 1980, Lifesaving Systems has been an innovator and leader in the world of maritime search and rescue equipment.
Every hour of every day something invented and made at Lifesaving Systems is on or over the waters of the world, being used to save a life. We know the importance of what we are making. We know how and where it will be used. We know that it absolutely cannot fail when it’s needed. We make products that are easy to use, easy to maintain, and as tough and strong as the rescuers who rely on them to save lives.
As a Maine-based company, we understand this lifestyle more than most. From commercial fishing to towing, we have a range of products that will fit your needs. Our combination of cutting-edge fibers and innovative technologies results in products designed to endure everything from searing sun to heavy weather.
We offer synthetic mooring ropes for use with securing vessels. These products undergo rigorous real-life testing to ensure longevity and predictability on the job.