Bagan

This is an interesting blog... Bagan- a 57 Nordhavn - sistership to Istaboa - is preparing to cross through the infamous, almost mythical, Northwest Passage.

Bagan Getting Ready from Hole in the Wall Productions on Vimeo.

Filmmaker SPRAGUE THEOBALD has always had an affinity for the sea. From his 3 year stint on the America's Cup yacht Intrepid to his private voyages from Alaska through the Panama Canal and into the Caribbean, Sprague has over 40,000 deep water miles under his belt. His look at The America's Cup in "The 25th Defense" won him an Emmy Award and his most recent work, "Welcome to Nordhavn" was pivotal in boosting the company's sales in 2007.

In this blog, Sprague and his Crew, (made up of professional mariners along with a successful film director), provide almost daily narrative to the details as well as setbacks experienced during preparation and execution of creating a world class documentary.

In Sprague's words:

The Scope of the Documentary

The aim of the trip is to not only travel to and through The Passage and document it, but to meet the denizens of the area, find out about their lives above the Arctic Circle, try and learn how the recent climatic changes have effected their lives, what they noticed, if anything. I want to learn what their feelings are about what may become of their home, their pristine ecology, their livelihoods if and when shipping and exploration make themselves known. I’d also like to follow the route The Franklin Expedition took and try to convey through the moving image how it is that such a large expedition can simply vanish. When Franklin and his mean set out for The Passage it was that century’s equivalent to one of the first moon shots for us. To this day those waters are for the most part uncharted and transiting them will present very obvious and present dangers, yet we have electronics that can guide us from the heavens and see what awaits beneath. With Forward Looking Sonar we can see 200’ ahead of us and make a navigational decision before calamity. Franklin and his men and those who followed, had none of this. They were true heroes… and they had backing. Our route is to leave Newport, RI, for Halifax, Upernuvik Greenland, enter Lancaster Sound, go down Peel Sound to King William Island, head out through the Bering Sea, cut through the Aleutians, Alaska and get into Seattle the end of October.

Interesting read... click here>>> Bagan

Ironic... The crew of Bagan have dealt with and overcame so much adversity.

• The loss of funding and sponsors
• A world economic crisis
• major mechanical modifications
• medical problems
  

But now it seems they are scuttled in Hallifax because Windows Vista has brought them to a grinding halt. We feel their pain.

Good luck Bagan

Adios,

Istaboa