In recent years, voyages to high latitudes have become increasingly popular among sailors attracted to more remote destinations. The most challenging among them, the Northwest Passage in the Arctic, and, at the other extreme, the Antarctic Peninsula, recorded in 2024 the largest number of visiting yachts in any one year.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the ARC transatlantic rally, its founder Jimmy Cornell has launched an event aimed at anyone interested in joining other like-minded sailors on a voyage to those exciting high-latitude destinations, Antarctica and the Northwest Passage.
Jimmy Cornell has sailed twice to those destinations and has planned the route of the High Latitude Challenge to benefit from favourable wind and weather conditions, as well as safe seasons, along the entire route. Two essential factors that were taken into account are the best time to sail to Antarctica (January – February), and to transit the NW Passage (July – August). Equally critical is avoiding the tropical storm seasons in both hemispheres. The resulting clockwise route, starting in September 2026 from Cherbourg, in France, would encounter favourable conditions all along this exciting voyage.
|
Leg |
Provisional start date
2026 |
Approximate distance (miles) |
|
(Newport, R.I. – Cherbourg) |
10 August |
2880 |
|
Cherbourg – La Coruña |
19 September |
350 |
|
La Coruña – Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
27 September |
980 |
|
Santa Cruz – Mindelo |
11 October |
870 |
|
Mindelo – Fernando de Noronha |
24 October |
1330 |
|
* Fernando de Noronha – Cabedelo |
|
|
|
* Cabedelo – Salvador de Bahia |
|
|
|
* Salvador de Bahia – Rio de Janeiro |
|
|
|
Fernando de Noronha – Rio de Janeiro |
7 November |
1290 |
|
*Rio de Janeiro – Mar del Plata |
26 November |
1190 |
|
Mar del Plata – Ushuaia (Puerto Williams) |
12 December |
1140 |
|
|
2027 |
|
|
Puerto Williams – Port Lockroy |
3 January |
780 |
|
Antarctica cruise |
9 – 28 January |
|
|
Port Lockroy – Puerto Williams |
30 January |
760 |
|
Puerto Williams – Puerto Montt |
9-11 February |
950 |
|
Southern Chile cruise |
9 February-7 March |
|
|
Puerto Montt – Easter Island |
11 March |
1980 |
|
Easter Island – Honolulu |
31 March |
4260 |
|
Honolulu – Dutch Harbor |
10-15 May |
2200 |
|
Northwest Passage |
2 – 10 July |
3890 |
|
Sisimiut – Long Pond |
21 August |
1270 |
|
Long Pond – Cherbourg |
5 September |
1990 |
|
(Long Pond – Newport, R.I.) |
3 September |
880 |
|
Total miles |
|
25 230 |
*optional stopovers
The High Latitude Challenge has been conceived as a rolling event that can be joined and completed at any point along its route. There will be recommended meeting points at Ushuaia, before the start of the leg across the Drake Passage to Antarctica, and at Dutch Harbor, before the start of the transit of the Northwest Passage.
Arrangements will be made at two logistical hubs with good service facilities, Mar del Plata in Argentina, and Honolulu in Hawaii. Participants will enjoy the benefits provided by marinas, yacht clubs, boatyards and workshops associated with the event.
Participants from the US east coast could leave earlier from Newport, R.I., and join the start in Cherbourg. In 2027 the Challenge will be expanded to give the opportunity to sailors from the US west coast, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, and other countries, to join the event at either Honolulu or Dutch Harbour.
Anyone interested in joining this event should send an email to info@cornellsailing.com with “Challenge” as subject and will be sent a form to have their eligibility approved.
