Transits of the Northwest Passage

Atlantic Ocean   ↔   Arctic Ocean   ↔   Pacific Ocean

 

The earliest transit of the Northwest Passage was completed in 1853 but used sledges over the sea ice of Parry Channel.  The following voyages have made complete transits of the Northwest Passage to the end of the 2008 navigation season.  These transits proceed to or from the Atlantic Ocean (Labrador Sea) in or out of the eastern approaches of the Canadian Arctic archipelago (Lancaster Sound or Foxe Basin) then the western approaches (McClure Strait or Amundsen Gulf), across the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea of the Arctic Ocean, from or to the Pacific Ocean (Bering Sea).  The routes taken and directions are indicated.  Complements of a few vessels left them for winter to return in a later navigation season.  Details of submarine transits are not included because only two have been reported (1960 USS Sea Dragon, [Capt. George Peabody Steele, West 1] and 1962 USS Skate [Capt Joseph L. Skoog, East 1]) and they do not navigate through ice.

 

Seven routes have been used for transits of the Northwest Passage with several minor variations (for example through Pond Inlet and Navy Board Inlet, etc).  These are:

1:  Davis Strait, Lancaster Sound, Barrow Strait, Viscount Melville Sound, McClure Strait, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait.  The shortest and deepest, but most difficult way owing to the severe ice of McClure Strait; the route is used by submarines because of its depth.

2:  Davis Strait, Lancaster Sound, Barrow Strait, Viscount Melville Sound, Prince of Wales Strait, Amundsen Gulf, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait.  An easier variant of route 1 which may avoid severe ice in McClure Strait; suitable for deep draft vessels.

3:  Davis Strait, Lancaster Sound, Barrow Strait, Peel Sound, Franklin Strait, Victoria Strait, Coronation Gulf, Amundsen Gulf, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait.  The route used by most vessels of draft less than 10 m.

4:  Davis Strait, Lancaster Sound, Barrow Strait, Peel Sound, Rae Strait, Simpson Strait, Coronation Gulf, Amundsen Gulf, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait.  A variant of route 3 for small vessels if ice from McClintock Channel has blocked Victoria Strait; Simpson Strait is only 6·4 m deep and has difficult currents.

5:  Davis Strait, Lancaster Sound, Prince Regent Inlet, Bellot Strait, Franklin Strait, Victoria Strait, Coronation Gulf, Amundsen Gulf, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait.  This route is dependent on ice conditions in Bellot Strait which has difficult currents; mainly used by eastbound vessels.

6:  Davis Strait, Lancaster Sound, Prince Regent Inlet, Bellot Strait, Rae Strait, Simpson Strait, Coronation Gulf, Amundsen Gulf, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait.  A variant of route 5 for small vessels if ice from McClintock Channel has blocked Victoria Strait; Simpson Strait is only 6·4 m deep, difficult currents run in Bellot and Simpson Straits.

7:  Hudson Strait, Foxe Basin, Fury and Hecla Strait, Bellot Strait, Franklin Strait, Victoria Strait, Coronation Gulf, Amundsen Gulf, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait.  A difficult route owing to severe ice usually at the west of Fury and Hecla Strait and the currents of Bellot Strait.

 

Complete transits have been made by 84 different vessels, beginning with Gjøa.  The Russian icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov has made 16 transits, the largest number of any ship.  Hanseatic has made 7 transits, three vessels have each made three transits, and eleven have made two.  Sixteen of these vessels, mainly small craft, took more than one year to complete a transit wintering at various harbours along the route.  These vessels have been from 19 different registries: 40 were from Canada, 22 Russia, 14 United States, 12 Bahamas, 7 France, 6 Britain, 3 Germany, 3 New Zealand, 2 Australia, 2 Norway, 2 Poland, 2 Sweden, and one from, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Croatia, Ireland (Éire), Japan, Netherlands, and Singapore.  Passengers have been carried on 31 transits but only two were otherwise commercial voyages.  Several of the vessels involved continued through the Panama Canal and thus circumnavigated North America, one continued to circumnavigate North and South America, and four have circumnavigated the Arctic Ocean.

 

                To this compilation 115 complete traverses of the Northwest Passage have been made.  An analysis of routes shows:

   Route 1               west   2   east   0   total   2                  Route 2                 west   6   east    3  total     9

   Route 3               west 22  east 29   total 51                  Route 4                 west 11  east    8  total   19

   Route 5               west   7   east 15   total 22                  Route 6                 west   2   east  14  total   16

   Route 7               west   0   east   3   total   3                  All Routes            west 45  east  70  total 115

 

Sources include a compilation by Thomas Pullen and Charles Swithinbank published in Polar Record (1991), Brian McDonald (CCG) who has maintained and expanded the compilation, with advice from Lawson Brigham (USCG), Peter Capelotti (USCG), David Fletcher, Peter Semotiuk, and Patrick Toomey (CCG), personal observations made during several transits with Quark expeditions, many publications, and several internet sites.  Advice of subsequent voyages, any corrections, and similar details is appreciated.  It is intended that this compilation will be revised annually.

 

R. K. Headland                                                                                                                22 September 2008

 

(c/o SPRI, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom, CB2 1ER.)

 

 

 

                Year        Vessel                                                                     Registry                 Master                                                   Route

 

1              1903-06   Gjøa (21 m auxiliary sloop)                                    Norway¹                  Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen  West  4

Wintered twice in Gjøa Haven and once off King Point

 

2              1940-42   St Roch¹ (29∙7 m RCMP auxiliary schooner)          Canada¹                   Henry Asbjørn Larsen¹                           East  6

Wintered at Walker Bay and Pasley Bay, traversed Pond Inlet

3              1944        St Roch² (RCMP auxiliary schooner)                      Canada²                   Henry Asbjørn Larsen²                           West  2

Return voyage, first transit in one season, traversed Pond Inlet

 

4              1954        HMCS Labrador (icebreaker)                                                Canada³                   Owen Connor Struan Robertson             West  2

First continuous circumnavigation of North America

 

5              1957        USCGC Storis (icebreaker)                                    United States¹          Harold Lambert Wood                            East  6

6              1957        USCGC Bramble (buoy tender)                             United States²          Henry Hart Carter                                   East  6

7              1957        USCGC Spar (buoy tender)                                   United States³          Charles Vinal Cowing                             East  6

Travelled in convoy, Storis escorted Bramble and Spar, accompanied by HMCS Labrador from Bellot Strait

 

8              1967        CCGS John A. McDonald (icebreaker)                   Canada⁴                   Paul M. Fournier                                     West  3

Dispatched to assist USCGC Northwind beset 900 km N off Point Barrow with damaged propeller, circumnavigated North America

 

9              1969        USCGC Staten Island (icebreaker)                         United States⁴          Eugene F. Walsh                                     East  3

Escorted oil tanker Manhattan on return voyage from Point Barrow

 

10            1970        CSS Baffin (research icebreaker)                             Canada⁵                   P. Brick                                                   East  2

 

11            1970        CSS Hudson¹ (research icebreaker)                        Canada⁶                   David W. Butler                                      East  2

First circumnavigation of the Americas

 

12            1975        Pandora II (hydrographic research vessel)             Canada⁷                   R. Dickinson                                           East  7

13            1975        Theta (research vessel)                                            Canada⁸                   K. Maro                                                   East  7

Travelled in company

 

14            1975        CSS Skidgate (buoy tender)                                    Canada⁹                   Peter Kallis                                              East  6

 

15            1976        CCGS J. E. Bernier¹ (icebreaker)                           Canada¹⁰                  Paul Pelland                                            East  3

 

16            1977        Williwaw (13 m sloop)                                            Netherlands             Willy de Roos                                         West  4

Single-handed after Gjøa Haven, continued to circumnavigate the Americas

 

17            1978        CCGS Pierre Radisson (icebreaker)                       Canada¹¹                  Patrick M. R. Toomey                             East  2

 

18            1976-79   J. E. Bernier II (10 m ketch)                                   Canada¹²                  Réal Bouvier                                           West  4

Wintered in Holsteinborg, Resolute, and Tuktoyaktuk

 

19            1979        Canmar Kigoriak (icebreaker)                                Canada¹³                  C. Cunningham                                       West  2

 

20            1979        CCGS Louis S. St Laurent (icebreaker)                  Canada¹⁴                  George Burdock                                      West  2

Circumnavigated North America

 

21            1980        CCGS J. E. Bernier² (icebreaker)                           Canada¹⁵                  E. Chasse                                                                East  4

 

22            1980        Pandora II (hydrographic survey vessel)               Canada¹⁶                  R. A. Jones                                             East  4

 

23            1981        CSS Hudson² (research icebreaker)                        Canada¹⁷                  F. Mauger                                               East  3

 

24            1979-82   Mermaid (15 m sloop)                                            Japan                       Kenichi Horie                                          West  6

First single-handed transit, wintered in Resolute and Tuktoyaktuk

 

25            1983        Arctic Shiko (tug)                                                    Canada¹⁸                  S. Dool                                                    East  3

 

26            1983        Polar Circle (research vessel)                                 Canada¹⁹                  J. A. Strand                                             East  4

 

27            1984        Lindblad Explorer¹ (ice strengthened ship)             Sweden¹                  Hasse Nilsson                                         West  4

First passenger¹ transit

 

28            1985        USCGC Polar Sea¹ (icebreaker)                             United States⁵          John T. Howell                                       West  2

Accompanied by CCGS John A. McDonald for part of voyage

 

29            1985        World Discoverer (ice strengthened ship)               Singapore                Heinz Aye¹                                              East  4

Carried passengers², traversed Pond Inlet

Year        Vessel                                                                     Registry                 Master                                                   Route

 

30            1976-88   Canmar Explorer II (drilling ship)                         Canada²⁰                  Ronald Colby                                          West  3

Reached Beaufort Sea for oil drilling programme from 1976 until completed transit

 

31            1983-88   Belvedere (18 m yacht)                                            United States⁶          John Bockstoce                                       East  6

Reached Tuktoyaktuk 1983, conducted whaling research to 1987, completed transit in 1988, traversed Pond Inlet

 

32            1985-88   Vagabond II¹ (15·3 m yacht)                                  France¹                    Janusz Kurbiel (1985-87) and

    Wojciech Jacobson (1988) East  6

Wintered in Tuktoyaktuk and twice in Gjøa Haven (where changed masters)

 

33            1988        CCGS Henry A. Larsen (icebreaker)                      Canada²¹                  Stephen Gomes                                       East  3

 

34            1988        Society Explorer² (ice strengthened ship)                Bahamas¹                                Heinz Aye²                                              East  3

Carried passengers³, traversed Pond Inlet [formerly Lindblad Explorer]

 

35            1988        CCGS Martha L. Black (icebreaker)                       Canada²²                  Robert Mellis                                          East  3

 

36            1988        USCGC Polar Star¹ (icebreaker)                            United States⁷          Paul A. Taylor                                         East  3

Accompanied by CCGS Sir John Franklin to Demarcation Point

 

37            1988-89   Northanger (15 m ketch)                                        Britain¹                    Richard Thomas                                      West  4

Wintered in Inuvik

 

38            1989        USCGC Polar Star² (icebreaker)                            United States⁸          Robert Hammond                                    West  3

Accompanied by CCGS Sir John Franklin to Demarcation Point

 

39            1986-89   Mabel E. Holland (12∙8 m lifeboat)                        Britain²                    David Scott Cowper¹                              West  6

Single-handed voyage, vessel wintered at Fort Ross twice, and at Inuvik

 

40            1983-90   Ikaluk¹ (icebreaker)                                                 Canada²³                  R. Cormier¹                                                    East  3

Reached Beaufort Sea in 1983, where worked to 1990 when completed transit

 

41            1990        USCGC Polar Sea² (icebreaker)                             United States⁹          Joseph J. McCleland                               West  3

Accompanied by CCGS Pierre Radisson to Demarcation Point

 

42            1990        Terry Fox (icebreaker)                                            Canada²⁴                  P. Kimmerley                                          East  3

 

43            1991        Canmar Tugger (tug)                                             Canada²⁵                  L. Lorengeek                                           East  3

 

44            1992        Frontier Spirit¹ (ice strengthened ship)                   Bahamas²                                Heinz Aye³                                                     West  3

Carried passengers⁴, traversed Pond Inlet

 

45            1992        Ikaluk² (icebreaker)                                                 Canada²⁶                  R. Cormier²                                             West  3

 

46            1992        Kapitan Khlebnikov¹ (icebreaker)                            Russia¹                    Piotr Golikov¹                                         East  3

Carried passengers⁵

 

47            1993        Kapitan Khlebnikov² (icebreaker)                            Russia²                    Piotr Golikov²                                              East  3

Carried passengers⁶

 

48            1993        Frontier Spirit² (ice strengthened ship)                   Bahamas³                                Heinz Aye⁴                                              West  3

Carried passengers⁷

 

49            1993        Dagmar Aaen¹ (27 m yacht)                                   Germany¹                Arved Fuchs                                           West  5

 

50            1994        Kapitan Khlebnikov³ (icebreaker)                            Russia³                    Piotr Golikov³                                              East  3

51            1994        Kapitan Khlebnikov⁴ (icebreaker)                            Russia⁴                    Piotr Golikov⁴                                         West  2

Return voyage, carried passengers^{8 & 9}

 

52            1994        Hanseatic¹ (ice strengthened ship)                          Bahamas⁴                                Hartwig van Harling¹                              West  3

Carried passengers¹⁰

 

53            1994        Itasca (converted tug)                                             Britain³                    Allan Jouning                                          East  4

 

54            1995        Kapitan Khlebnikov⁵ (icebreaker)                            Russia⁵                    Viktor Vasiliev¹                                          East  5

Carried passengers¹¹

 

 

 

                Year        Vessel                                                                     Registry                 Master                                                   Route

 

55            1995        CCGS Arctic Ivik¹ (icebreaker)                               Canada²⁷                  Norman Thomas                                     East  5

56            1995        CCGS Arctic Ivik² (icebreaker)                               Canada²⁸                  Robert Mellis                                          West  5

Return voyage to and from Kap York

 

57            1995        Canmar Ikaluk³ (icebreaker) [formerly Ikaluk]       Canada²⁹                  D. Connolly                                            East  3

 

58            1995        Dove III (8∙2 m yacht)                                             Canada³⁰                  Winston Bushnell                                    East  3

 

59            1995        Canmar Miscaroo (icebreaker)                               Canada³¹                  D. W. Harris                                           East  3

 

60            1995        Hrvatska Cigra [Croatian Tern] (19∙8 m yacht)    Croatia                     Mladan Sutej                                           West  5

 

61            1996        Kapitan Dranitsyn¹ (icebreaker)                             Russia⁶                    Oleg Agafonov                                       East  5

Carried passengers¹²

 

62            1996        CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier (icebreaker)                   Canada³²                  Norman Thomas                                     East  5

Escorted by CCGS Louis S. St Laurent for part of voyage, traversed Pond Inlet

 

63            1996        Hanseatic² (ice strengthened ship)                          Bahamas⁵                                Hartwig van Harling²                                     West  3

Carried passengers¹³ until grounded in Simpson Strait, escorted by CCGS Henry A. Larsen to Victoria Strait, traversed Pond Inlet

 

64            1996        Canmar Supplier II (cargo vessel)                          Canada³³                  P. Dunderdale                                         East  3

 

65            1996        Arctic Circle (tug)                                                   Canada³⁴                  J. McCormick                                         East  3

 

66            1997        Hanseatic³ (ice strengthened ship)                          Bahamas⁶                                Heinz Aye⁵                                              West  3

Carried passengers¹⁴, escorted to Victoria Strait by CCGS Henry A. Larsen, traversed Pond Inlet

 

67            1997        Kapitan Khlebnikov⁶ (icebreaker)                            Russia⁷                    Viktor Vasiliev²                                      East  3

Carried passengers¹⁵

 

68            1997        Alex Gordon (tug)                                                   Canada³⁵                  Paul Misata                                             East  5

Escorted by CCGS Sir Wilfred Laurier to Franklin Strait and then CCGS Pierre Radisson

 

69            1997        Supplier (tug)                                                          Bahamas⁷                                Allan Guenter                                          East  5

Escorted by CCGS Terry Fox to Victoria Strait

 

70            1998        Kapitan Khlebnikov⁷ (icebreaker)                            Russia⁸                    Piotr Golikov⁵                                              East  3

Carried passengers¹⁶

 

71            1998        Hanseatic⁴ (ice strengthened ship)                          Bahamas⁸                                Heinz Aye⁶                                              East  3

Carried passengers¹⁷, escorted to Victoria Strait by CCGS Sir John Franklin, traversed Pond Inlet

 

72            1999        Admiral Makarov (icebreaker, dock in tow)           Russia⁹                    Vadim Akholodenko                               East  3

73            1999        Irbis (tug, dock in tow)                                           Russia¹⁰                   Aleksandr Aleksenko                              East  3

Travelled in convoy each towing a component of a steel floating dock, Korea to Caribbean

 

74            1999        Kapitan Dranitsyn² (icebreaker)                             Russia¹¹                   Viktor Terekhov¹                                    West  3

Carried passengers¹⁸, circumnavigated the Arctic¹

 

75            1999        Ocean Search (12∙5 m yacht)                                  France²                    Olivier Pitras¹                                          East  5

Traversed Pond Inlet

 

76            2000        USCGC Healy¹ (icebreaker)                                   United States¹⁰        Jeffery M. Garrett                                   West  3

 

77            2000        Hanseatic⁵ (ice strengthened ship)                          Bahamas⁹                                Thilo Natke                                             West  3

Carried passengers¹⁹, traversed Pond Inlet

 

78            2000        Kapitan Dranitsyn³ (icebreaker)                             Russia¹²                   Viktor Terekhov²                                    West  3

Carried passengers²⁰, circumnavigated the Arctic²

 

79            2000        Nadon [St Roch II] (17·7 m RCMP catamaran)     Canada³⁶                  Kenneth Burton                                       East  6

Voyage to commemorate St Roch 1940-42 transit

 

80            2000        Simon Fraser (icebreaker, formerly CCGS)           Canada³⁷                  Robert Mellis                                          East  6

Escorted Nadon

 

81            2000        Evohe (25 m yacht)                                                 New Zealand¹          Stephen Kafka                                         East  6

 

                Year        Vessel                                                                     Registry                 Master                                                   Route

 

82            2001        Kapitan Khlebnikov⁸ (icebreaker)                            Russia¹³                   Viktor Vasiliev³                                      East  3

83            2001        Kapitan Khlebnikov⁹ (icebreaker)                            Russia¹⁴                   Viktor Vasiliev⁴                                          West  1

Return voyage, carried passengers^{21 & 22}

 

84            2001        Turmoil (46 m yacht)                                              Cayman Islands       Philip Walsh                                            West  4

Traversed Pond Inlet

 

85            2001        Northabout (14∙9 m yacht)                                      Ireland (Éire)           Jarlath Cunnane                                       West  4

Circumnavigated the Arctic³

 

86            2002        Kapitan Khlebnikov¹⁰ (icebreaker)                          Russia¹⁵                   Piotr Golikov⁶                                              East  3

Carried passengers²³

 

87            2001-02   Le Nuage (12∙8 m yacht)                                         France³                    Michèle Demai                                        East  3

Complement of mother and daughter, wintered in Cambridge Bay

 

88            2002        Sedna IV (51 m yacht)                                             Canada³⁸                  Stéphan Guy                                           West  5

 

89            2002        Apostol Andrey (16∙2 m yacht)                                Russia¹⁶                   Nikolay Litau                                          East  5

Assisted by CCGS Louis S. St Laurent through Prince Regent Inlet, circumnavigated the Arctic⁴

 

90            2002        Arctic Kalvik (icebreaker tug)                                  Barbados                 Sanjeev Kumar                                        East  3

 

91            2002        Hanseatic⁶ (ice strengthened ship)                          Bahamas¹⁰               Thilo Natke                                             West  3

Carried passengers²⁴, traversed Pond Inlet

 

92            2003        Kapitan Khlebnikov¹¹ (icebreaker)                          Russia¹⁷                   Viktor Vasiliev⁵                                          East  5

93            2003        Bremen³ (ice strengthened ship)                              Bahamas¹¹               Daniel Felgner                                         West  3

 Both carried passengers^{25 & 26}, Bremen [formerly Frontier Spirit] traversed Pond Inlet

 

94            2003        Norwegian Blue (12∙9 m yacht)                              Britain⁴                    Andrew Wood                                        East  5

95            2003        Vagabond² (15·3 m yacht)                                      France⁴                    Eric Brossier                                           East  5

Both traversed Pond Inlet; Vagabond [formerly Vagabond II] circumnavigated the Arctic⁵

 

96            2003        USCGC Healy² (icebreaker)                                   United States¹¹        Daniel Oliver                                           West  3

 

97            2003-04   Dagmar Aaen² (27 m yacht)                                   Germany²                Arved Fuchs²                                          East  5

Wintered in Cambridge Bay, traversed Pond Inlet; circumnavigated the Arctic⁶

 

98            2003-04   Polar Bound (14·6 m motorboat)                            Britain⁵                    David Scott Cowper²                                      West  5

Single-handed voyage, wintered in Cambridge Bay, assisted by CCGS Louis S. St Laurent in Prince Regent Inlet

 

99            2004        Kapitan Khlebnikov¹² (icebreaker)                          Russia¹⁸                   Pavel Ankudinov¹                                   East  5

Carried passengers²⁷

 

100          2005        Oden (icebreaker)                                                    Sweden²                  Anders Wikström                                    West  3

 

101          2005        Kapitan Khlebnikov¹³ (icebreaker)                          Russia¹⁹                   Viktor Vasiliev⁶                                          East  3

Carried passengers²⁸

102          2005        Idlewild (17∙3 m motorboat)                                    Canada³⁹                  Benjamin Grey                                        East  6

Assisted by CCGS Sir Wilfred Laurier and CCGS Louis S. St Laurent through Bellot Strait

 

103          2004-05   Fine Tolerance (13·7 m yacht)                                Australia¹                                Philip Hogg                                             East  6

Wintered in Cambridge Bay, assisted by CCGS Sir Wilfred Laurier and CCGS Louis S. St Laurent through Bellot Strait

 

104          2005        Kapitan Khlebnikov¹⁴ (icebreaker)                          Russia²⁰                   Viktor Vasiliev⁷                                      West  3

Return voyage

 

105          2006        Kapitan Khlebnikov¹⁵ (icebreaker)                          Russia²¹                   Pavel Ankudinov²                                   East  7

Carried passengers²⁹

 

106          2004-06   Minke I (12·8 m yacht)                                            Canada⁴⁰                  Peter Brook                                             East  6

Wintered in Cambridge Bay twice

 

107          2006        Nekton (13·6 m yacht)                                             Poland¹                    Tadeusz Natenek                                     East  4

108          2006        Stary (13·5 m yacht)                                               Poland²                    Dominik Bak, Jacek Waclawski, and

    Slawek Skalmierski             East  4

Travelled in company, traversed Pond Inlet (Stary changed masters at Cambridge Bay and Tuktoyaktuk)

 

                Year        Vessel                                                                     Registry                 Master                                                   Route

 

109          2007        Kapitan Khlebnikov¹⁶ (icebreaker)                          Russia²²                   Viktor Vasiliev⁸                                      East  5

110          2007        Hanseatic⁷ (ice strengthened ship)                          Bahamas¹¹               Ulf Wolter                                               West  5

Both carried passengers^{30 & 31}

 

111          2007        Babouche (7·5 m catamaran)                                   France⁵                    Sébastien Roubinet                                  East  5

 

112          2007        Cloud Nine (17·3 m ketch)                                      United States¹²        Roger Swanson                                       West  3

 

113          2007        Luck Dragon (12·1 m yacht)                                  Britain⁶                    Geoffrey Allison                                     West  3

Vessel abandoned in Bering Sea

 

114          2007        Berserk II (14∙6 m yacht)                                        Norway²                  Jarle Andhøy                                           West  5

 

115          2005-08   Arctic Wanderer (11∙9 m yacht)                              United States¹³        Gary E. Ramos                                        East  6

Wintered in Cambridge Bay thrice

 

116          2008        Polarstern (icebreaker)                                           Germany³                Uwe Pahl                                                                West  1

 

117          2008        Berrimilla (10 m yacht)                                           Australia²                                Alexander Whitworth                              East  4

 

118          2008        Geraldine (14 m yacht)                                           United States¹⁴        Walter Jones                                            West  3

119          2008        Amodino (23 m yacht)                                             New Zealand²          Juan Ribos                                              West  4

120          2008        Tyhina (10·4 m yacht)                                             New Zealand³          Peter Elliott                                              West  4

121          2008        Baloum Gwen (14·9m yacht)                                  France⁶                    Thierry Fabing                                        West  4

122          2008        Southern Star (23·7m yacht)                                   France⁷                    Oliver Pitras²                                           West  4

2008 had the largest number of yacht transits in one summer