Adventurers make it to Arctic Circle using AIS as a Navigational Aid!

Icom have supported a successful team of eight adventurers who became the first people to travel from Scotland to the Arctic Circle in six metre RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats). The GORE-TEX Arctic Challenge, which featured two Suzuki powered 6.3 metre Humber RIBs, represented a world first and involved a 1000 mile journey undertaken in just 6 days from the north of Scotland to Norway’s Lofoten Islands north of the Arctic Circle.

Icom supplied the project with MA-500TR Class B AIS transponder nd IC-M505 VHF/ DSC marine radio for each boat.

The successful team comprised many maritime celebrities including Paul Lemmer, Pete Goss MBE, Hugo Montgomery-Swan and Mark Beeley as well as complete novices. Expedition organiser and challenge crew member, Hugo Montgomery-Swan, came up with the idea for the adventure, said that it was so successful he was already planning the next.

He said, ‘Our experiences on the Arctic Challenge have been some of the finest I have ever enjoyed afloat. The Norwegian coastline all the way up the west coast is more majestic than one can imagine. Our little boats provided the very best possible means of seeing the mountains and all they hold. This is a voyage that will not be forgotten. There are more adventures on the horizon and I would urge people to keep an eye on www.ribstothelimit.com to see what the team has planned for 2012.’

He added, ‘Icom VHF communication systems were chosen for the GORE-TEX Arctic Challenge in preference to other makes. Our choice was based upon personal experience and an excellent track record in connection with the many offshore challenges RIB Magazine have undertaken in the past.’

He went on to say, ‘The VHF, DSC and AIS equipment supplied by Icom performed without fault throughout and represented a major contribution to the safety of the crews and the overall success of the voyage. There is little doubt that Icom gear will be our first choice for the next “RIBs To The Limit” expedition.’

To find out more about the challenge, which was chronicled daily through blogs, photos and videos, visit www.ribstothelimit.com.

Icom UK Marketing - marketing@icomuk.co.uk