121 years have elapsed since the mad adventure experienced at the North Pole by the Norwegian explorers Nansen, Sverdrup, Wisting and Amundsen from 1893 to 1912. In turn, French explorer Gilles Elkaim is preparing to cross the icy Arctic Ocean aboard his ship specially designed to navigate in the polar regions, the Arktika. This time, however, the expedition, which will take place solo (planned between 2016 and 2018) and partly by the force of autonomous energy, will benefit, thanks to its partnership with Advanced-Tracking, from minute-by-minute tracking thanks to a particularly high-performance geolocation beacon.
Gilles Elkaim's project
Gilles Elkaim's passion for the North Pole is driven by the imperative that man must adapt to the environment he explores, and not the other way around. A philosophy that the sailor wishes to share with all those who will be following, from near or far, the stages of his journey, and which his boat, the Arktika, designed to run on renewable energies , embodies perfectly.
Indeed, the wind turbines and the solar kit supplied by Advanced-Tracking - consisting of a solar panel, a battery, a case and a suction cup holder - will make the most of the natural elements to ensure the energy autonomy of the geolocation beacon on board the Arktika.
The program of the trip
This new great adventure of Gilles Elkaim is planned to last two years and is divided into two great moments:
- The navigation itself, from the islands of New Siberia to the Svalbard archipelago,
- A trip to the North Pole with sled dogs for a month.
Already unique of its kind, the difficulty of the expedition is compounded by the type of navigation chosen, which is that of drifting, by the absence of any assistance and by a total of eight months of polar night. However, according to Gilles Elkaim, two years and such measures will not be too much to convince mankind of the need to respect the Arctic environment?
A message to the planet
By living, in this way, in total symbiosis with the Arctic environment, and by going there aboard a simple sailing boat, Gilles Elkaim hopes to demonstrate that the polar regions, now claimed by certain countries wishing to exploit their natural resources, belong to no one.
So, if he has chosen to set off on his own, he has taken all the necessary steps to make his adventure public to the whole world, thanks to the Delorme Explorer beacon which Advanced-tracking has equipped the Arktika with. Also operating with the help of 7 integrated solar panels, this beacon will not only enable the navigator to establish his route point by point in the middle of the pack ice, but also to communicate his progress in the pack ice and his observations, even from the most isolated places.
An unprecedented adventure, in short, as beautiful as it is exciting, which Advanced-Tracking is proud to sponsor!