59° North Sailingvideo
Jon Amtrup // Sailboat science in the High Arctic
October 15, 2024 · 1h 9m · 367 views
What this video covers
Skipper Jon Amtrup commanded the 74-foot aluminum expedition sailboat *Witness*—formerly known as *Pelagic Australis*—during a Greenpeace research expedition to the High Arctic.3:57 Designed by Skip Novak for high-latitude operations, the 55-ton vessel features manual furling for the genoa, yankee, and staysail, along with a four-reef mainsail system.13:58 The boat carries 7 tons of diesel and 3 tons of water, maintaining speeds of 9 to 10 knots on a broad reach in 20 to 25 knots of wind.13:02 During the mission, the crew documented glacial retreat by re-photographing historical sites near Longyearbyen, where they recorded unseasonably high temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius.27:26 The expedition demonstrated that sailboats provide a cost-effective, low-impact platform for scientific research, such as hydrophone deployment, compared to large, fuel-intensive research ships.59:05 The *Witness* design lineage continues with newer, slightly larger vessels like *Vinson of Antarctica* and *Amundsen*.47:12
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