Sedlachek’s Eight

July 24, 20192min read

July 22, 2019

Sedlachek's Eight
Last night, AAL Innovation, the Austrian traveler Norbert Sedlacek, sailed from Les Sables d’Olon in France towards the Arctic Ocean.

Sedlachek's Eight

In fact, the news started in the same way, which we published on Yacht Russia almost a year ago – on July 31, 2018. The same Sedlacek came out then from the same Les Sables d’Olon and headed for Greenland. His goal was to describe the G8 alone at AAL Innovation – to go through the Canadian Northwest Passage in the direction "against wool" (from east to west), go down the western coast of the USA to the Horn, make a loop around Antarctica, rounding the menacing Cape twice and then across the Atlantic to return to France. The length of the route is 34,000 nautical miles!

Only a year ago, Sedlacek, having passed through Ireland, decided to stop the expedition and turned back. There were problems – and the Austrian decided that there was no point in taking risks: it is much better, having got rid of the problems, to start in a year.

That evening, July 21, 2019 and started. Good luck to him!

In fact, Sedlacek is well known to sailing enthusiasts. The former Viennese motorman himself, without the support of some powerful sponsors, was able to first organize a non-stop solo voyage around Antarctica, then take part in the 2004 Vendee Globe race (then he had to go the distance), and later (in 2008) successfully complete this race (11th place out of 30 participants). And now – a new project: the G8 around the globe. Project name – Ant Arctic Lab.

To implement the project (and we wrote about it a year ago), Norbert built himself a new yacht – it seems IMOCA 60, but in fact it is not an ordinary IMOCA. The AAL Innovation yacht is built of basalt fiber – an inorganic material derived from the melt of some natural minerals. He has his constructive advantages over, say, ordinary E-glass, but the main fact for Norbert is (as he himself declares) the following fact: the possibility subsequently (upon completion of operation) to completely recycle the yacht for recyclable materials (basalt fiber allows recycling and recycling) .

This type of structural material has already been tested in yacht building: the son of Norbert – Harald – crossed the Atlantic without technical problems on a small (4.90 meter) yacht, built of basalt fibers.

There is one more innovation: before the keel of AAL Innovation, a special special “chitzer” was installed, which, according to the yachtsman’s plan, should prevent the keel from causing damage to large marine mammals during possible collisions. This detail and the use of an unusual construction material made AAL Innovation about two tons heavier than the "regular" Open 60 of the last generation.

But this yacht can be called, almost with good reason, "steadfast".

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