Ullman Sails announces sponsorship of ‘Barba’ Expedition with Norwegian Arctic expedition vessel ‘Barba’ and her crew composed of a Norwegian captain, an American travel journalist, a Russian Arctic sailor, a German photographer and a Norwegian explorer. They all share a passion for nature and consider a sailing yacht propelled by the wind that has minimal impact on its surroundings the ultimate tool of adventure.

Ullman Sails is proud to join the expedition, which embodies the spirit of cruising and exploration. ‘Barba’ will be sailing exclusively with cruising sails from Ullman Sails’ Endurance Series, including a mainsail, jib and spinnaker engineered specifically for high latitude sailing.

The expedition, which aims to circumnavigate the island of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean, will push the crew’s equipment to the limit. The journey will reach as high as 80.5° latitude and will likely encounter challenging conditions including extreme weather and high wind strengths. Ullman Sails has extensive experience building sails for offshore voyages, making the partnership with ‘Barba’ a perfect fit.

Ullman Sails’ experience in high latitudes

“The sails are the items with the highest level of complexity with a number of options in both fabric and customizations,” said ‘Barba’ owner and Captain Andreas B. Heide.  “Small details make a massive difference for both safety and performance when handling the adverse and rapidly-changing weather conditions of the great North. Ullman Sails has distinguished itself within-depth knowledge of how to get the best sails suited for our upcoming expedition, based on years of experience of designing sails for the High Latitudes.”

Equipped with climbing gear, paragliders, and scuba diving equipment, the crew is prepared to explore and document their interactions with nature and share them with the world in a unique and compelling way. The team will be reporting to Yale Climate Connection, a Yale University initiative, and was featured on Cruising World Magazine’s website on July 1, 2015.

“We are very happy to be part of the planning and specification of these sails,” says Ullman Sails Norway owner Peter Hoeg. “The performance and longevity of these sails must be of the highest standard. Our dealer, Maritimt Kompani, is ideally located on the expedition’s trek north, so they will be able to support in the delivery and fitting of the new sail inventory, and anything else the crew may require.”

About ‘Barba’

‘Barba’, a 2005 Jeanneau Sun Fast 37 is modified and equipped for exploring nature. The ‘Barba’ team frequents the North Atlantic and has sailed to several northern latitude destinations. Their 2015 expedition, their greatest yet, is a journey covering 3,400nm and will take them from Stavanger in Southern Norway to the Arctic island of Svalbard – https://www.barba.no/

Photo by Daniel Hug – terragraphy.de