Operator
About
Boreal Adventure Sailing is an Operator that runs small-group sailing expeditions above the Arctic Circle. Their expedition sailboats serve as a floating base for ski touring, hiking, sea kayaking, and wildlife viewing in places no road reaches. The company was co-founded by offshore racing skipper Lionel Lemonchois, and each voyage combines a professional skipper, an IFMGA-certified mountain guide, and a first mate and chef on board. They operate in northern Norway, Svalbard, and East Greenland. Winter and spring center on Ski & Sail: 8-day voyages with 6 ski days. Guests tour from the boat in Bodø and the Lofoten Islands in early to mid March, in the Lyngen Alps from late March through April, and on the west coast of Svalbard from mid-May into June. Because the boat is the base, the crew can sail to, anchor at, and land guests wherever snow and weather are best, then move overnight to the next day's terrain. Tours typically run 4 to 8 hours on peaks of roughly 500 to 1,500 meters. A First Timers program in the Lyngen Alps is designed for confident powder skiers who are new to ski touring. In summer, the focus shifts to Sail & Explore and Sail & Kayak. These 10-day expeditions in Svalbard and East Greenland center on shore landings, hiking, kayaking among icebergs, and Arctic wildlife, including polar bears, walruses, whales, seals, and Arctic foxes. A 15-day Lofoten, Northern Lights and Fjords voyage runs in September. For guests who want to learn the sailing side, Boreal also runs offshore passages linking France, Norway, Svalbard, Iceland, and Greenland, with hands-on instruction in navigation, sail trimming, weather routing, and night watches. Private, bespoke voyages are available too. Groups are small, with a maximum of 6 guests per voyage. The fleet includes Varuna (22 m / 73 ft) and Intrepido (21 m / 69 ft), two aluminum exploration sloops built by the Garcia shipyard for unlimited-range passages, plus Kéraban Le Têtu, a 16 m / 55 ft Cigale 16 designed by Jean-Marie Finot. Cabins are double-berth, each with its own en-suite toilet and shower and individually controlled heating. Boreal's boats are certified to carry paying passengers and are maintained to at least World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations Category 1 standards.
Locations
Where Boreal Adventure Sailing runs trips from — open any pin in Google Maps.
Tromsø, Norway
Tromsø is the embarkation and disembarkation port for Boreal Adventure Sailing's Ski & Sail voyages in the Lyngen Alps, including the First Timers program. The crew picks guests up at Tromsø Airport and brings them aboard to settle into their cabins, check gear, and go through safety briefings with the skipper and guide. That first evening, the boat sails north through the Grøtsund toward the Ullsfjord, Sørfjord, and Lyngenfjord before anchoring for the night. From there, the Lyngen peninsula and its surrounding islands offer peaks of 800 to 1,500 meters and ascents of 4 to 9 km, with 1 to 3 hours of sailing between anchorages. Voyages return to Tromsø on the morning of day 8. Tromsø is also the departure point for Boreal's Norway–Svalbard offshore passage.
Tromsø, Norway
Open in Google Maps ↗Bodø, Norway
Bodø is the embarkation port for Boreal Adventure Sailing's Bodø & Lofoten Ski & Sail voyage, which runs in early to mid March. Guests board in Bodø for gear checks and safety briefings, then sail roughly 5 to 7 hours across the Vestfjorden to a sheltered anchorage in the Lofoten archipelago on the first evening. The ski terrain here is jagged granite peaks rising straight out of the sea to around 1,100 meters, and early March departures give guests a good chance of seeing the northern lights from the anchorage. Depending on the voyage, guests disembark in Bodø, Leknes, or Narvik.
Bodø, Norway
Open in Google Maps ↗Longyearbyen, Svalbard
Longyearbyen, the main settlement on Norway's Svalbard archipelago, is the embarkation and disembarkation port for Boreal Adventure Sailing's Svalbard Ski & Sail voyages, which run from mid-May into June. Guests are transferred from the airport to the boat, then sail out toward the west coast. The ski days focus on Kongsfjorden (Kings Bay), which is sheltered from ocean swell by Prins Karls Forland, and the fjords and shores of Isfjorden, with tours of 4 to 8 hours on peaks of 500 to 1,100 meters. At the end of the voyage, guests are transferred back to the airport or their hotel. Longyearbyen is also the starting point for Boreal's Svalbard–Greenland offshore passage.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway
Open in Google Maps ↗Kulusuk, East Greenland
Kulusuk is a small Inuit village of about 250 people, often surrounded by drifting icebergs, and the gateway to East Greenland. It's the embarkation and disembarkation point for Boreal Adventure Sailing's 10-day Greenland Sail & Explore voyages, which run from late July into early September. Guests are transferred from Kulusuk's airport to the boat, then spend the voyage exploring the Sermilik and Ammassalik fjord systems, sailing past glaciers including Helheim, landing ashore to hike, and watching for whales, seals, and seabirds. Boreal suggests allowing time before boarding to hike Kulusuk's roughly 300-meter Isikajia hill, which looks out over the Denmark Strait and the surrounding fjords. Kulusuk is also the end point of the Svalbard–Greenland offshore passage and the start of the Greenland–France passage.
Kulusuk, Greenland
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