Photo: Instagram/svhakluyt
While most people are trying to stay as comfy as possible at home, away from nature’s wrath, some bold folks go looking for it. This couple is currently on a journey that might end up in the Arctic, and it’s not just for fun. The two are on a mission to raise awareness not just about climate change, but also about a healthy personal lifestyle, including organic food and daily sports. And they’re doing it while sailing a unique boat.
If you think eating healthy and exercising regularly is hard, try doing it while living full time on a sailboat, on the way to the Arctic, with your partner and four dogs on board. It’s not “mission impossible” for Wes Hyde and Judith Graile, from Manitoba.
Describing themselves as “avid sailors,” they have recently kicked off a very ambitious multi-year expedition project that’s mainly supposed to be educational.
After sailing from Newfoundland, they will make their way to the Bahamas, return to Canada, and then sail to the Arctic over the course of next year. Throughout the entire journey, they plan to educate people on climate change, and promote a healthy lifestyle that’s in harmony with nature.
At the center of all of this is their vessel, named Hakluyt, after a small island in Greenland. This is by no means an ordinary boat. Created by an acclaimed architect, it lived a long life as a polar expedition boat with educational purposes.
When Wes and Judith purchased it, they decided to also make it green. So, the boat underwent a major refit process, and became Hakluyt – a rugged vessel fitted with electric motors, powered by renewable energy, and equipped with many green alternatives on board.
Built in France, at the beginning of the 1990s, the boat is a 47-foot (14 meters) steel “Super Disko.” This is the famous design of Gilbert Caroff, an acclaimed French naval architect, and it’s named after the Disko Island in Greenland.
The boat’s history isn’t perfectly documented, but in the early 2000s it was owned by an explorer and participated in the Euronav expedition. Later, it would be at the center of a philanthropic program called “Students on Ice.”
Today, following the extensive 2022 refurbishment, Hakluyt ditched its Yanmar engines for two 15 kW motors and a LiFePo battery bank. It’s fitted with a wind generator and solar panels, as well as modern technology, including custom radar and communication systems, and new electronics.
The diesel stove was also replaced with a solid combustible stove, fed with recyclable, eco-friendly compressed logs. The couple lives and cooks everything onboard, following the “teach by example” motto.
The eco-friendly Hakluyt’s adventures are shared on social media, and you can keep up with the boat’s location and movement in real time.
Describing themselves as “avid sailors,” they have recently kicked off a very ambitious multi-year expedition project that’s mainly supposed to be educational.
After sailing from Newfoundland, they will make their way to the Bahamas, return to Canada, and then sail to the Arctic over the course of next year. Throughout the entire journey, they plan to educate people on climate change, and promote a healthy lifestyle that’s in harmony with nature.
At the center of all of this is their vessel, named Hakluyt, after a small island in Greenland. This is by no means an ordinary boat. Created by an acclaimed architect, it lived a long life as a polar expedition boat with educational purposes.
When Wes and Judith purchased it, they decided to also make it green. So, the boat underwent a major refit process, and became Hakluyt – a rugged vessel fitted with electric motors, powered by renewable energy, and equipped with many green alternatives on board.
Built in France, at the beginning of the 1990s, the boat is a 47-foot (14 meters) steel “Super Disko.” This is the famous design of Gilbert Caroff, an acclaimed French naval architect, and it’s named after the Disko Island in Greenland.
The boat’s history isn’t perfectly documented, but in the early 2000s it was owned by an explorer and participated in the Euronav expedition. Later, it would be at the center of a philanthropic program called “Students on Ice.”
Today, following the extensive 2022 refurbishment, Hakluyt ditched its Yanmar engines for two 15 kW motors and a LiFePo battery bank. It’s fitted with a wind generator and solar panels, as well as modern technology, including custom radar and communication systems, and new electronics.
The diesel stove was also replaced with a solid combustible stove, fed with recyclable, eco-friendly compressed logs. The couple lives and cooks everything onboard, following the “teach by example” motto.
The eco-friendly Hakluyt’s adventures are shared on social media, and you can keep up with the boat’s location and movement in real time.
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