Two Garcia sailing yachts completed the Northwest Passage in opposite directions during the 2026 Arctic season, according to the French builder's September expedition report. Hafiz is an Explocat 52 catamaran travelling from Greenland towards Alaska, while Lifexplorer is an Exploration 52 monohull crossing from west to east.
The two 52-foot designs sit within LYG's 12.00–23.99-metre range and provide a useful ownership account rather than another model launch. Their voyages show how ice information, fuel planning and crew decisions can reshape a long-distance itinerary.
Hafiz reaches Nome
Hafiz departed Nuuk on 16 July before travelling along western Greenland and crossing Baffin Bay into Arctic Canada. Garcia says the yacht reached Nome on 9 September after 4,203 miles, according to the owner's logbook.
The east-to-west route involved regular reassessment of ice, anchorage conditions and available supplies. The reported completion is an owner voyage result, not a claim that conditions or the passage were universally easy.
Lifexplorer takes the opposite route
Alberto Biffignandi's Lifexplorer waited for ice to ease near Nome before setting out across the Canadian Arctic. The yard reports that the central passage from Nome to Pond Inlet took 35 days, followed by a crossing of Baffin Bay towards Greenland.
The itinerary included the Beaufort Sea, Cambridge Bay, Victoria Strait and Bellot Strait. Progress depended on openings in ice and weather rather than an inflexible prearranged schedule.
Autonomy and judgement
The catamaran and monohull have different layouts, but both crews encountered decisions about timing and changing conditions. Reserves, maintained systems and reliable information can provide more options when waiting is the safer course.
These accounts illustrate committed expedition ownership, not a general recommendation to attempt polar routes in any particular yacht. High-latitude passages require experience, current ice intelligence and specialist risk planning.
