Trip details:
The Adventure
This voyage across the Seven seas and to the top of the Seven summits has never been completed before. Can it be done?
Graham Hoyland has climbed Mount Everest and McKinley, the two hardest mountains, and has sailed across the Southern Ocean to Antarctica by sailing yacht, certainly the most difficult ocean, so he is confident that this project is possible.
The Mountains and their climbing seasons
Denali (North America, 6194m/20,320ft), mid May - mid July-CLIMBED
Aconcagua (South America, 6960m/22,834ft), end of Jan - mid March
Vinson (Antarctica, 4897m/16,023ft), mid Nov - beginning Jan
Carstensz Pyramid (Australasia, 4884m/16,024ft), end of July - end of Nov. (but anytime).
Everest (Asia, 8848m/29,028ft), mid March-end of May -CLIMBED
Kilimanjaro (Africa, 5895m/19,340ft), end of July - end of Feb.
Elbrus (Europe, 5642m/18,510ft), end of July- mid Sept.
The Seas
The Arctic
The North Atlantic
The South Atlantic
The Southern Ocean-(SAILED)
The Indian
The South Pacific
The North Pacific.
The Journey
Leave Florida and sail to Argentina through the South Atlantic to climb Aconcagua, recuperate at the southern end of Latin America ready for our crossing of the Southern Ocean. Vinson (Antarctica) can be climbed from late November to mid January. Then across the South and North Pacific to Carstenz Pyramid, west across the Indian Ocean to Africa and Kilimanjaro, up the Red Sea, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea to climb Elbrus. Then across the North Atlantic to attempt a summer traverse of the North-West passage, giving us a complete circumnavigation of all seven summits and seven seas in just over two years.
The Boat
Graham Hoyland has bought a 42 foot centre cockpit steel ketch. This configuration is safest when large seas are encountered. The steel hull is strong enough to withstand grounding on coral or the odd ice growler, unlike a plastic or wooden hull.
The vessel is fitted with a large engine and generator set suitable for difficult conditions, and there are berths for six.
The Man
Graham Hoyland has worked on eight BBC filmed expeditions to Mount Everest and became the fifteenth Briton to climb the mountain in 1993. In his life-long search for the camera that his uncle Howard Somervell gave to George Mallory his expedition found the climber’s body. This featured in his film for BBC 2 “Lost on Everest.”
He has also filmed and climbed Mount Denali and sailed a yacht to Antarctica. He works as a T.V. producer of BBC programmes, and is also a regular contributor to the travel section of The Independent newspaper.
07740871161 graham.hoyland@gmail.com
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