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Glenua Sailing Centre
Winter Lecture 2015/16 Series
Sailing the Northwest Passage
An Illustrated Lecture on Irish Women in the Northwest Passage
by
Sibéal Turraoin
Thursday 12 November 2015
20:00
Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club Ringsend
Entry €5 (in aid of RNLI)
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Sibéal Turraoin is an Irish photographer and designer who, along with Máire Breathnach, are the first Irish Women to sail the Northwest Passage.
In the early summer of 2010 Young Larry, a 44ft steel gaff-rigged yawl left Dingle in sailing 1,700 miles through the North Atlantic to Nuuk, capital of Greenland. The next six weeks were spent cruising up the western coast to Upernavik, waiting for the ice in Baffin Bay to melt. Sights such as whale hunts, giant glaciers, icebergs, sledges and dogs all became common along the way.
After a foggy and icy crossing the Davis Strait Young Larry landed in Pond Inlet and during the six week leg through the Northwest Passage polar bears were spotted swimming around the boat in Beechey Island where Franklin spent a winter on his ill-fated exploration; a caribou and whale feast with drum dancing was had in Gjoa Haven, a settlement founded by Amundsen; Dew Line stations were explored; northern lights seen; ice floes navigated; and, after rounding through the stormy Bering Straits Young Larry arrived at the gold rush town of Nome, where Wyatt Earp ran a saloon. After continuing south to Dutch Harbour, Young Larry finally berthed in Kodiak for the winter, almost 8,000 miles traveled becoming the 145th boat to transit the passage.