The Polar Front acquire charter business in Western Isles of Scotland
Tuesday, 26 January, 2010

The Polar Front are delighted to report the successful acqusition of Lochaber Yachting & Watersports based at the foot of Glencoe in Ballachulish, Scotland (pictured right!)

Lochaber Yaching & Watersports  is an RYA training centre specialising in tuition up to Yachtmaster (sail) and Advanced (RIB) Powerboating.  We have a fleet of 5 cruising yachts available for bareboat or skippered charter amongst the stunning Western Isles of Scotland.

That's not all!  For the dedicated adventure sailors amongst you, we'll be running two trips in 2010 to infamous St Kilda, the UK's most westerly inhabited island.  At 50 miles west of the outer Hebridese this is an exceptional destination far from the beaten track, and right up our street!!!

Please visit our website at http://www.lochaberwatersports.co.uk or

call: 01855 811 931 for more information.

Download our West Scotland Cruising chart (below) to see what's on offer!

 

2010 Arctic Expeditions - The Adventure begins here...
Tuesday, 13 October, 2009

 2010 is going to be our most exciting and ambitious summer in the High Arctic.  Building upon all of the incredible destinations we have visited in Northern Norway, in June 2010 we will set sail from the Lofoten Islands, bound for Jan Mayen, Iceland, East Greenland and Svalbard...  

Whilst the voyage is likely to be over 3000 miles in total, we have broken the trip into managable two week 'legs' giving everyone the chance to take holiday out of the office to discover the very best destinations in the world.  

These legs are to be as follows...

1 Bodo (Norway) - Jan Mayen - Akureyri (Iceland)

2 Iceland - Jan Mayen - Scoresby Sund (Greenland)

3 Greenland - Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen)

4 Spitsbergen Circumnavigation - Bear Island - Tromso

Each leg will begin and end at (or near to) an airport with international connections, allowing guests to join the boat from anywhere in the world.

As usual we'll maximise any time ashore making these legs appealing to mountaineers, skiers, kayakers (Feathercraft onboard), photographers, wildlife watchers - the list is long!

No previous sailing experience is necessary, but you will have lots of experience when you get home!

Unfortunately spaces are limited to 10 guests for this trip and the boat will fill up fast!  For dates / prices please visit Itinerary and for further information or any questions, please Contact Us.

NRK Jan Mayen Documentary
Friday, 2 October, 2009

This summer Polar Bear was proud host to an intrepid film crew from NRK (Norwegian Television).  Their task was to get to Jan Mayen by any means and make a documentary about the most inaccessible of Norwegian Islands - Jan Mayen.

Naturally, the best way of getting boxes of camera equipment, two cameramen and a lovely TV presenter 500 miles out to Jan Mayen would have been a supply ship or even a Herculese aircraft.  However, this team chose a far more adventurous (and more carbon friendly) option.  Joining an 'Eco Expeditions' mountaineering trip they found themselves earning a hard passage out there onboard Polar Bear.  

Somehow, despite pitching seas and a very short time ashore, they created a fantastic documentary which you can view by following this link...  NRK Jan Mayen 

Well done guys!  It was great to have you onboard...

 

Polar Bear completes the Fastnet Race in 5 days and 2 hours!
Monday, 24 August, 2009

Polar Bear and her crew of 18 completed the Fastnet Race in fine style arriving at the finish line on Friday (14th August) afternoon right before the party in Plymouth began!  

A whopping race of endurance lasted 5 days and 2 hours for us, plagued by either no-wind or head-wind, making for a rather slow time.  

At times we were blasting along at 12 knots under spinnaker, but in contrast we spent 6 hours at anchor one night watching the smaller yachts drift backward in a painful foul tide!  

One element that proved relentless however was the fantastic spirit onboard.  Having two very competitive watches - Blue Watch with 9 fellows and Pink watch - 7 fellows, 1 lady and a Garry; it's easy to imagine the level of humour which kept us all smiling!

Although we knew we had little chance of competing with the ultra-light race yachts in these conditions, we were extremely happy to have some 'class racing' between Polar Bear and a few of her sisters from the Challenge Days - Challeneger 2 and 3 (operated by the Tall Ships Trust). I have to say the competition was extremely close and a good hard race was fought by the 'heavies' bringing up the rear.  I'm very pleased to admit however that we sailed to victory with just hours between us all!

Of course this race was not just about having a great time, but also to do some good for those who couldn't be there with us.  Campaign organizers Bill Holt and Mark Styles managed to balance the race program with some very worthy support for their chosen charities Martin House Children's Hospice and Earthwatch Institute.  Polar Bear played host to two very important days for the charities and we know that these days have already lead to bigger things!  

The Fastnet Race is an iconic event in the sailing community, but also followed and respected by a much wider audience throughout the world.  Polar Bear's entry in this race has been an unbelievable success for all those involved both onshore and offshore.  Thankyou to all of our supporters throughout this campaign.  We hope we have made you proud!

A final word of thanks to Bill and Mark without whom, none of this would have been possible!

Please click below to help spread the message of the good work which Martin House and Earthwatch undertake...

http://www.martinhouse.org.uk/

http://www.earthwatch.org 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only hours to go until the Fastnet start...
Sunday, 9 August, 2009

 

Only hours to go until we begin the starting sequence for the Fastnet Race 2009.  We are ready for anything now, full of high spirits and humour!  

No race would start without a very competetive start line, and we know we're sailing amongst some of the best racers in the world today. 

However, we are confident we'll do well, looking at the fine and proud race crew in the picture above the competition must be very afraid!  They ought to be!

We are flying our Earthwatch and Martin House flags proudly this morning.  

Please follow our progress at http://www.rorc.org/ and join the 'virtual race' if you are stuck in the office!

Best wishes from everyone here onboard, 

 

The Crew!

Martin House making waves!
Friday, 31 July, 2009

A big thank you to the brave sailors from Martin House who went to sea to meet a very big 'Polar Bear'!  

Although the wind was cool, the sun was out all day for a beginner crew with so much enthusiasm!  

Well done to all for making this such an enjoyable day!  

We are so honoured to be flying the flag for Martin House in the Fastnet Race this summer, and we hope to do you proud.

 

Further thanks to our onboard celebrity Paul Rose, Earthwatch and Total Oil for your incredible support.

 

For further information about how to help us raise funds for this wonderful charity, please visit their website: www.martinhouse.org.uk

 

Countdown to Fastnet Race - How can you help us?
Thursday, 30 July, 2009

Only days to go before Polar Bear enters the infamous Fastnet Race.  The worlds most famous offshore race starts off Cowes on the Isle of Wight, rounds Fastnet Rock (Southern Ireland) and ends in Plymouth - 605 miles later!

Competative spirit is running high amongst an excited crew of 18 - but a dedication to raise much needed funding and awareness for two very deserving charities has given us a real reason to perform!  We'll be proudly supporting "Martin House Childrens Hospice" and "Earthwatch" and flying their flag from the spreaders!  

If you would like to know more about either of these organisations or how you could help us support them, please get in touch through our Contact / Enquiries page or visit their websites...

http://www.martinhouse.org.uk/

http://www.earthwatch.org/

Stay posted for our progress reports...  

 

   

Jan Mayen - 71° North 8°30 West
Thursday, 25 June, 2009

  Its hard to know what to expect from an island with such a reputation as Jan Mayen.  Rising out of the Norwegian Sea 540 miles west of the Norwegian mainland, Jan Mayen lies completely isolated from the rest of the world, open to the fury of the worst weather one might like to imagine.  Add to this an absence of any kind of safe harbour and very limited rescue facility, this trip was always going to be a big committment!

The determination of the crew to get to the island and climb Beeremberg was inspiring.  The prospect of climbing such a beautiful and inaccessible mountain was the carrot at the end of the stick which kept everyone going despite 36 hours of strong headwinds and heavy seas, followed by a further 48 hours of hard going in a very cold sea.  Finally we could see the snowy northern slopes of Beeremberg on the horizon and the magic of the island began to unfold.  

We were met by whales all around the boat; Minke, Killer and Pilot whales put on the most incredible display to show that we had arrived somewhere very very special.  Once anchored and the group were safely ashore, we would discover for ourselves.

The shore party made best use of a narrow weather window and managed to summit in perfect sunshine.  A few of the lucky sailing crew were invited to experience the legendary hosptality of those very special people who man the Loran C and Meteorological Stations.  There is no experience on earth like sipping cold beer in a warm outdoor swimming pool looking out on a wild volcanic island surrounded by ocean.  Thanks to all our new friends on the base for your incredible kindness.

 

Time ashore was cut short by another despression screaming our way, pushing strong winds fog and rain ahead of it.  Time to get out of there and use a good sailing breeze to get us back to civilisation. 

This was indeed a rare and fantastic experience to see such a remote place.  At all times we were amazed by how quickly the weather could change and how any trip to this island could never be taken for granted.  

Thanks to everyone onboard, Eco Expeditions and of course those brave people who man the remote outpost of Jan Mayen.  

A smashing welcome from the midnight sun!
Monday, 8 June, 2009

You really have to take whatever weather comes your way when crossing the Norwegian Sea.  This year, the weather gods had strong northerly winds, rain, hail, a bit of snow and some smashing waves to keep us on our toes as we headed north towards the Arctic Circle.

No match for Polar Bear as she got straight to work hard on the wind, not so appealing for us mere mortals however.  600 miles and 5 days of bone shaking later, the sun shone, the seas dropped off and once again the awesome coastline of the Norwegian Arctic welcomed us.

This was hard sailing but a very strong crew rose to the challenge.  Thanks to everyone who helped sail Polar Bear last week, we certainly couldn't have done it without you!

Preparations are now firmly underway for the next leg of the adventure ... Jan Mayen!  

Keep posted for more updates as we have them!

Mark (Bodo, Norway)

 

Polar Bear official entry in Fastnet Race 2009
Thursday, 23 April, 2009

The Polar Front are very proud to announce that Polar Bear will be racing in this summer's Fastnet Race.  The campaign has been organised by Bill Holt and Mark Styles and a team of dedicated racers have already begun training.

Last weekend was the first 'team building' experience and proved to be a huge success for all onboard.  Polar Bear, just out of refit and back on the water, was powering beautifully through a northerly swell and happy to be off the lead again!  

After two days of race preparation, hundreds of manoeuvers and a few runs ashore, the team and the boat were at one with each other !

 

The Fastnet Race is one of the most famous offshore races in the world.  The fleet start in the Solent and head out to Fastnet Rock off the south coast of Ireland, then return to Plymouth and the finish line, 605 miles later.

At this stage we are awaiting confirmation of two chosen charities which we hope can raise vital funds and publicity from the efforts of the team.  Keep posted for more information...