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What’s up folks,

Hope you are all doing well & enjoying your summer holidays… Any good news or gossips on your ongoing holidays, dear friends? We are in Barrow, in Alaska which is considered as the most northerly town of the US. The sailboat is anchored in Barrow’s lagoon. To reach the town center from where we are, we need first to take out our dinghy to shore…taking us a dinghy ride of 35 minutes….after, we need to either walk 15 miles or ask a friendly local to bring us here…This is what we did…We went to the library…did a bit of computer…was pleased to have some news from Jon, the friendly guy we meet in Wainwright (see previous emails). Jon was explaining me that finally the Belugas & caribous arrived a few days ago in Wainwright…the hunters are certainly pleased about this to store the food needed for their familly for winter time. Jon, so sorry I didn’t manage to say bye bye to you & the locals… was sick sleeping on board to recuparate…now, everything is “picco bello”. Fi, we should leave Barrow on the 18th…depending on weather conditions (winds & ice chart forecast). You never know, we could still be here on the 19th & team mates would be pleased to see you of course…. In town, we bought a few stuff at the supermarket…nothing exciting to visit here…however, we went to the wellknow Mexican “Pepes” restaurant to have a nice meal…(good sometimes not to be cooking & doing the washing up Around 23.00 local time, we are at the beach to return back to the sailboat…a small issue ….waiting for some action, folks…here, we are….6 to 7 Beaufort…with around 32 knots winds…big front waves…oleeeeeeee, here we go as a team, everyone motivated by the cold water challenge … with our laptops, cameras, some food & clothes….lucky, I am wearing my Kokatat expedetion dry suit (so great, …you need to have this folks - really excellent….Arielle is so enthousiast, she ordered one… )……35 minutes of huge action, the sea is bloody cold…water & waves are splashing all over the place, on our faces, in the dinghy…everyone is wet….the concentration is at his best…the locals are numerous to watch this from the beach warmly seated in their cars…or to help in case of…finally, we made it….it was sincerely rough…everybody completely wet….our material was fine after a nice warm sleep few minutes after at 01.30 morning time, the winds were reaching a level of 38 knots coming from South East with good visibility…Baloum Gwen was moving….the risk is to see the anchor leave the ground & then in a few short minutes see the sailboat drift to the shore…Arielle & Thierry did a shift to make sure everything was fine…while Aline & myself were sleeping or trying to sleep with all the noise of the sailboat shaking crazy We meet at our arrival along the lagoon another sailboat doing the Northwest Passage, the Americans on board of sailboat “Ocean watch”…we were all pleased to wave, say hello, take a few pictures, exchange fast a few questions….we were expecting to see them at Pepes at 20h00…no news…I presume, the weather conditions was the reason not to see them…let’s be positive, we will see them around, I hope so…it seems really interesting what their missions are…essentially scientific I read in a local Newspaper…with Universities, Nasa & big names as sponsors…it seems they have a camera able to view at 360° & take 48.000 pictures/day…with crew members from differents fields of expertize (meterologist,…) …lead by Skipper Mark Schrader…hope to meet you guys if you read this message from your sailboat….funny enough, they are only a few miles from us…yesterday, we could see the boat from Baloum Gwen…we presume, they are positioned somewhere esle in the lagoon to shelter from the current winds…. Today, no way for us to go in town….. it wasn’t possible to take again the dinghy ih similar conditions eventhough the sun is shinning….time then to rest, prepare food, read, chat, dry up our clothes (my bg bootts again :-)….& now write you this short message from far North…Still remains a question, if the winds are similar tomorrow, how will we pick up Gille in Barrow who’s arriving from France…as far I am concern, there is always a solution somwhere…wait & see… the conditions could improve…in one way or the other
Wishing you a great week with plenty of lovely surprises, cheeers to all - patrick

15th of July 09 - 22h51 local time - Live via satellite from Baloum Gwen sailboat in Barrow’s lagoon - blue sky with a lovely midgnight sun - South East winds of around 22 knots - good visibility - time to sleep - crew is fine: Arielle is reading a book in her bed, Aline working on her computer & laughing, Thierry doing some “mots croisés” & chacing his pictures….