Vanguard of the Ice

After a Mediterranean wring-out, a small crew embarked on a bucket-list journey to Greenland onboard a custom, 78-foot aluminum yacht.

After time in the Merchant Marine, relocating to the US and building a successful career, Chris Leigh-Jones wanted to get back on the water and do some real power cruising to bucket-list destinations.

Photo courtesy of Northrop & Johnson

Enter Naval Yachts. The Turkey-based builder’s line of aluminum explorer yachts, known as XPMs for Extreme Exploration Passagemaker, are ideally suited for the types of off-the-grid cruising that Leigh-Jones had in mind.

Photo courtesy of Northrop & Johnson

After her Mediterranean launch and outfitting in Spain, Leigh-Jones had her shipped to Fort Lauderdale. From there, she began her round-trip journey to Greenland, where she faced everything from squalls with 100-mph winds, unpredictable, enormous ice fields to welcoming, working harbors where his crew traded locals for things like caribou meat and the use of a Mercedes AMG. 

Listen in the player below:

Photo courtesy of Northrop & Johnson

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