Skip Novak: Racing Legend and Antarctic Expedition Leader

Skip Novak is a distinguished sailor whose career spans competitive ocean racing and leading high-latitude expedition voyages. He made a mark early in his life as a navigator and skipper in multiple editions of the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race and later pivoted to building and operating purpose-built expedition sailing vessels that take guests into the Antarctic and subantarctic regions.

Novak’s racing résumé includes four Whitbread campaigns. As a 25-year-old navigator in 1977, he guided the British cutter Kings Legend to a remarkable second-place overall finish. He went on to skipper Independent Endeavour to victory in the 1979 Parmelia Race from Plymouth, England, to Fremantle, Australia. In the 1985/86 Whitbread, he helmed the high-profile Drum — a campaign that earned a podium finish, with the boat placing third.

Beyond traditional monohull racing, Novak also succeeded with large multihulls. In 1997 he campaigned the French catamaran Explorer to a record in the Transpac Race, and in 1998 he co-skippered Explorer with Bruno Peyron to break the sailing record between Yokohama, Japan, and San Francisco. Novak later co-skippered the 33-meter Innovation Explorer in 2001, helping the team to a second-place result in the nonstop, no-limits circumnavigation known as The Race.

In 1987 Novak began a second, equally influential chapter of his career focused on expedition sailing at high latitudes. He built the 54-foot steel expedition yacht Pelagic and subsequently added Pelagic Australis, a purpose-built 74-foot aluminum sailing expedition vessel. Since then he has spent virtually every season in Antarctic waters, combining his seamanship and mountaineering skills to guide expeditions that introduce passengers to polar environments, wildlife, and climbing opportunities.

Novak’s contributions to sailing and polar expedition leadership have been recognized by major institutions. The Cruising Club of America awarded him the Blue Water Medal in 2015 for his seamanship and accomplishments, and the Royal Cruising Club in the U.K. honored him with the Bill Tilman medal in 2016 in recognition of his high-latitude voyages and leadership.

First memory of being on a boat: Novak recalls his earliest experience afloat as a family fishing trip on a Canadian lake. His first sail was aboard his father’s 22 Square Meter in Chicago, and he began racing in Lehman 10 dinghies in Belmont Harbor and later in Blue Jays, well before modern planing dinghies became common.

First boat you owned: His first boat was a Mobjack dinghy kept on a mooring in Belmont Harbor at the Chicago Yacht Club. During a squall, while skipping school, Novak capsized with a friend aboard and washed up on rocks. The Mobjack was written off — his one and only shipwreck.

Current fleet: Novak operates the Pelagic fleet. The original Pelagic is a 54-foot, home-built steel sloop, and Pelagic Australis is a 74-foot aluminum sloop designed for expedition charter in remote southern waters. He also keeps a Laser dinghy and a fleet of kayaks for shore excursions and personal sailing.

Favorite boat: He cites his Laser as a favorite for its reliability and the joys of single-handing — a reminder that small, simple boats can be immensely rewarding.

Dream boat and future plans: Novak is developing a new Pelagic design: a 56-foot family expedition cruiser intended to combine comfort with offshore capability. His retirement plan is modest and clear — cruising the Pacific Northwest and Alaska in a vessel based on this new design.

Most rewarding sailing experience: From a racing perspective, Novak names his first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1977/78 as the highlight. As navigator at 25, he guided his crew around the globe using traditional celestial navigation — sextant and timepiece — to a second-place finish. From a cruising and leadership standpoint, he finds equal reward in running the Pelagic business and introducing many people to high-latitude adventure sailing year after year.

Scariest moment at sea: One of the most frightening incidents Novak experienced was the capsize of Drum during the 1985 Fastnet Race when the keel fell off. He vividly remembers the initial panic followed by the realization that he would survive as he escaped a flooded companionway while the boat heeled dramatically. Although the hull ultimately inverted, the crew were rescued — those trapped inside were assisted by a diver and all were later evacuated by helicopter.

Most memorable moment: Rounding Cape Horn in the 1977/78 Whitbread stands out. After days without celestial sights, Novak managed to take sun lines and correct their position. They rounded the Horn at night in a gale with a poled-out Yankee and found themselves unexpectedly close to a French competitor. A bold, close-quarters exchange ensued, and Novak treasures the dawn photograph taken of them near the Horn.

Longest nonstop stretch at sea: Novak sailed 64 consecutive days in 2001 aboard a 110-foot maxi catamaran during The Race, nonstop from Barcelona to Marseille. He notes that once routine sets in, long passages are manageable, though the freeze-dried provisions grow tiresome.

Favorite destination: South Georgia ranks as his favorite destination. For sailors and mountaineers alike, it offers dramatic landscapes, wildlife, and climbing possibilities. Novak returns there almost annually for early-season charters and climbing projects.

Favorite nautical book: He repeatedly enjoys Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat, finding the Thames riverine misadventures timeless and endlessly relatable.

Favorite nautical cause: Novak supports the Jubilee Sailing Trust, which operates square-rigged vessels designed to carry mixed crews of able-bodied and disabled sailors. He served as ice pilot and expedition leader aboard Lord Nelson on a voyage to the Antarctic in 2013 and planned further assistance in 2018 on Tenacious for a passage from the Falkland Islands to Cape Town with a stop in South Georgia.

Favorite quote about the sea: Novak favors a blunt observation by Sterling Hayden: “To be truly challenging, a voyage, like life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea — ‘cruising’ it is called.”

This article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue.