The Artemis Transat

Trapped in fog for more than 150 days a year, Sable Island looks more like a fragile strip of sand awaiting to be eaten by ocean waves than a safe, sturdy rock upon which one could set foot. How many ships, forced to run before North Atlantic storms, have washed up on the shores of this gloomy bank? Sable Island is believed to have formed from large quantities of sand and gravel deposited on the continental shelf near the end of the last ice age (“Sable” meaning sand, in French).




Records seem to indicate that at least 350 wrecks haunt the island, and there were many speculations about treasures still dwelling undiscovered, tucked away in bilges that have long since been filled by sand. And how many sailors were buried in that “tomb that knows no sound”, often referred to as the “graveyard of the Atlantic”? In order to avoid pillaging, the Canadian authorities forbade access to the Island in 1801, thus indirectly giving an even stronger air of mystery to this peculiar place lying some 85 nautical miles south east of Canso, Nova Scotia. Sable Island, very close to the Great Circle Route between Europe and North America, claimed its last victim in 1999 and still remains a genuine threat, despite the evolution of navigation techniques – strong currents, lack of visibility and frequent storms, hurricanes or northeasters indeed make the area a very perilous one. A life-saving station was established in 1801, and the crew became the first permanent inhabitants of the island — a first attempt at colonization carried out by the French in the 16th century having failed. Two lighthouses were erected in 1872, and became home to the lighthouse keepers and their families – the Canadian Coast Guards have since automated the towers, but an occupied observation station remains.


Position: 43°57′0″N 59°54′57″W
Area: 34 square kilometres