22ft catamaran conquers North West Passage

'Gamble won, challenge succeeded, dream realised'.

That is Sébastien Roubinet's comment on what must stand as one of the most impressive and historic sailing achievements this year. On Sunday he and two crew succeeded in crossing the North West, arriving on the west coast of Greenland on Sunday after three months and 21 days on board the tiny 22ft (7m) Kevlar-reinforced catamaran Babouche.

One of the smallest yachts ever to achieve this feat, Babouche is highly unusual. She is part sailing boat, part ice yacht, with metal runners on her hulls so that she can 'skate' over ice if her way is blocked.

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