Entering the Pacific Ocean through the Bering Strait at 1 p.m. Polish time and 3 a.m. local time Sept. 19, the crew of the Polish yacht Stary closed the symbolic gate of the Northwest Passage. At the same time, the crew with an average age of 25 became the youngest sailing team in history to successfully complete the route, which is one of the most difficult in the world of sailing. Deck by deck with the Stary, another Polish yacht, the Nekton, also completed the passage. Both yachts became the first Polish sailing yachts to have sailed the legendary passage.

"We navigated through ice, and by the time of the crossing we were caught in a wind storm, whipping up high waves. Our rudder line broke and the screw of the autopilot became dismounted. Unable to make repairs in the gale, we were forced to steer manually. It was exhausting," said Sławek Skalmierski, the captain closing the last stage of the expedition.

The QNT Northwest Passage Jubilee Voyage 2006 started in Greenland on Aug. 15 and was dedicated to commemorating the 100th anniversary of Roald Amundsen's pioneering expedition. The Norwegian explorer was the first person to sail the entire length of the Northwest Passage. It took him three years to do so, from 1903 to 1906.