Cape North
Cape Horn
An artistic and scientific expedition from Finnmark (Norway) to the channels of Patagonia (Argentina – Chile)
assisted by the “New Worlds” programme of the French Ministry of Culture
From North to South
Sailing from Brittany to link the Cape North to the Cape Horn between 2023 and 2025? It’s the challenge we set ourselves, to meet the Samis of North Norway and carry on the researches with the Yagan, Haush and Selk’nam of the south of Magellan Strait.
After a decade spent on research dedicated to the people of south Finis Terrae of Latin America and ten years after her first solo expedition in Land of Fire, departing from Ushuaia (Patagonia), Lauriane submitted this project to link these two hemispheres on a sailing ship, as she was convinced that the issues of the people with whom she is working south is an echo to those in the far north of Europe.
This expedition spanning several years was initially scheduled with a steel cutter designed 50 years ago (BabaYaga, 11m) but it then moved to a bigger ship allowing for more crew on board and designing more ambitious projects: the Milagro (20m).
This mission is complemented by sailing internships of all levels for our members, conferences, audiovisual exhibitions and … writing a book, the achievement of years of exploration with the far south and north autochthonous people.
The stopovers
This long expedition, from Cape North to Cape Horn, first set its course North towards Norway. After stopping at Tromsö’s Polar Institute to prepare the expedition, we progressively sailed north along the coasts of Troms, then Finnmark until we reached Cape North. We sailed through countless islands off the coast of Norway, up to a dozen miles of the Russian boarder, and finally met the inhabitants, the Sjö-Samis in particular, during their fishing activities on Barents sea.
One of our goals is to understand how the “Joik” (singing) is related to the places, and imagine with them a mapping form where the human would be at the centre, as a sentinel to the spaces. And who knows, this creation might be food for thoughts in terms of formalising maps in indigenous languages south of Magellan Strait.
This approach, which is still ongoing, was followed by a trip southward, at Arles end of August, for the 4th edition of the Agir pour le vivant (Act for the Living) festival including exhibition and conferences.
In Spring 2024, we left again and set course towards Ireland and Scotland, where our research is centred on how these areas and the dynamics of population and international colonisations between St Columba’s time (6th century) and the colonisation of south Patagonia (19th century). You can join the team from Dublin, by clicking here.
These two northern stopovers are still ongoing and will be the starting point of a third one which will set course towards south Argentina and Chile: the canals of Patagonia, with gorgeous glaciers and its famous Cape Horn. Our objective is to leave in October 2024 to arrive in Land of Fire in January 2025. This long trip spanning over 8000 nautical miles will be a privileged time to navigate together, as we’ll stop at the Canaries, Cabo Verde, Brazil and Argentina. During several months, we will study the Yagan, Haush and Selk’nam territories with, for the first time for the association, the freedom to carry out these explorations with Yagan fishermen onboard with us, as they are true connoisseurs of their ancestors’ places of living. And the funnel of mapping expression imagined up north might also be reflected down south!
This stopover is, as always, open to the members of the association, and will be followed by an exhibition and conferences during the Agir pour le vivant (Act for the living) festival’s 6th edition in August 2025. The end of this project will pave the way for the writing of a book which will look back on the genesis of the research and expeditions led in Patagonia by Lauriane since 2011.
“Passions are winds that swell the sails of the ships;
they sometimes overwhelm her, but she could not sail without them.”
Voltaire
The team
Damien Treutenaere
After several sailing navigation experiences in Norway and on Greenland’s eastern coast, Damien stayed true to the call of the ice and joined the project, and the association in general, as a skipper and sailing instructor.
He has majored as Sailing 200 Captain (2007) and 1st degree sailing BEES (2004), adding to skills acquired when he used to be an aquaculture and fish farming breeder (Scotland, Ireland). While leading convoys in Mediterranean Sea, the West Indies, the Atlantic Ocean…he has been a patient and educational sailing instructor for over 20 years and is also an instructor in maritime centres and a supervisor to sailors, sailing 200UMS and Professionnal Certificate cruise captains.
Lauriane Lemasson
Sound engineer, photographer and researcher in geography, ethnology and acoustics, she is dedicated to Patagonia’s far south. She has been working there for over 10 years and has carried out and conducted several scientific expeditions, one of which was sponsored by UNESCO in 2018 in the canals of the Biosphere Reserve of Cape Horn in autumn-winter.
She publishes articles, has her photos and sounds featured in exhibitions, gives conferences both scientific and suitable for all audiences (Europe, Canada, Latin America, Russia), and she regularly appears in the media such as Géo magazine, a show on France culture, podcasts, … She is also a mechanical engineer from the Merchant Navy and first mate during this expedition.
Toupie
If this one could talk, she would have loads to say about her adventures in any season for the last 12 years on the mountain and wave ridges. This little Welsh Corgi Pembroke considers the ship to be HER ship as she growls on the crew at any inacceptable sail flap, and she doesn’t hesitate to take action as illustrated in the photo when the ship reached Cape North. She can also, like no one else, spot any marine animals, play ball in the square, snuggle warm and safe in bad weather, and get cuddled and serve as hot water bottle both at the same time. She is our onboard all-terrain mascot!
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Contact
karukinka@outlook.com
+33 6 04 65 22 08