Stephanie McDonald
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 14, 2008

IQALUIT - Moored in Frobisher Bay, the boat Aurora Magnetica bears the brunt of fierce winds and the rise and fall of the tide.

The extreme conditions are exactly what owner Pierre Sauvadet was looking for to test his cold weather boat.

"I got lost on the way to the West Indies," Sauvadet, a nomadic Frenchman, joked when asked how he ended up anchored in Iqaluit for an Arctic winter.

Pierre Sauvadet stands in the kitchen of his boat, Aurora Magnetica. "I have so much time for cooking," he said. It's not surprising, as his boat has been intentionally icebound in Frobisher Bay since November to test it in cold weather conditions. - Stephanie McDonald/NNSL photo

In reality, he is here to test out the boat he designed for Arctic conditions.

Launched in 2004 from France, the vessel has crossed the Atlantic three times, but this winter will be its first in Arctic conditions.

Sauvadet is testing new equipment and materials on the boat to see how it holds up in the extreme weather.

"All of this stuff is very nice and shiny, but it can fail," he said.

A generator that costs thousands of dollars can break down because of a $10 part he said.

Proximity to an airport and thus access to boat parts, was one of the reasons Sauvadet chose to anchor in Iqaluit for the winter rather than a more remote location in Nunavut.

Ultimately, the design of the Aurora Magnetica could be used as an expedition base camp for scientists, film crews, divers and researchers. As the Arctic ice melts, Sauvadet said there would be an increasing need for private companies to provide logistics for Northern travel.

"This type of boat can go where no other boat can go," he said.

Yet, Sauvadet is more interested in the boat's design and philosophy than making money from it.

The 60-foot-long boat was stocked with 95 per cent of the supplies Sauvadet expected to use over the Canadian winter before leaving France. The vessel can carry fuel for 16 months.

"The idea of the boat is to be totally independent," he said.

He burns 20 to 21 litres of diesel each day for heating and electricity.

Built with an ecological focus, the Aurora Magnetica is 200 times less expensive to use than any other Arctic boat, Sauvadet said.

The 47-year old is no stranger to Arctic waters, having plied the seas since he was 18 and circled the globe by boat five times.

'Zigagodromy' is the made up French word for travellers like Sauvadet. It describes those who chose the longest route between point A and B, rather than the most direct course.

In 1991 he traversed the Northeast Passage and four years later he was a member of a team looking for artifacts of the fabled John Franklin expedition.

Sauvadet has tried to set up on land before and live in a house, with lacklustre results.

"To be on a boat and to live on a boat is a way of life," he said. "It would be difficult for me to stop now ... I'm happy like this."

Sauvadet and the Aurora Magnetica have been icebound since Nov. 12 and will remain that way until break up next summer. His plans rest on how the boat fares over the coming months.

"It's the worst condition I could've found for the boat, and so far so good," Sauvadet said.