Missed yesterday’s post? Click here.
Got up at 3:30am after 6h of sleep. Still a bit jetlagged.
Got some work done on my phone, answering emails, paying bills, going through receipts, researching some topics. At 7am I went for a run (14km/8mi) along Victoria Island’s South coast from Shawn’s cabin towards Cambridge Bay and back.
About a quarter into my run, a huge wolf-like huskie mixed breed started chasing me, then kept very close (3ft, 1m), showing me his teeth and making angy, loud noises. I kept on walking slowly away from him while looking at him and talking as calmly as I could “Yeah.. you’re a good dog. You are just guarding your master’s cabin, aren’t you… good boy..” and so on.
After about a minute which felt like an hour, the owner came out of her cabin and half-heartedly called her dog back. “Rex, come here, now you come.”
For another minute the dog couldn’t decide if continuing to harass me or following his mistress’s orders, until he finally ran back to the cabin. His owner had long gone back inside with not a care about my situation, her dog’s appetite, or about the connection between those two.
When back from my run, I picked up my dryrobe from the cabin then washed myself in the Ocean before joining the rest of the team for breakfast, which had just started.
Day was spent with more maintenance works and with trying to get the boat ready for the launch tomorrow. All the gear that had been sitting outside the boat on pallets to dry and to sort through it, had to be put back inside the boat together with plenty of newly bought gear.
We put most of our personal gear inside the cabins, except for our sleeping bags, cameras, spare clothes, and a few other items, so that on Saturday morning, we’d only have to carry very little gear, when we’ll take Shawn’s boat out to where Hermione will be anchoring.
The ever-changing current plan is to row from Shawn’s cabin to Cambridge Bay on Saturday morning, then wait there until Tuesday or Wednesday before we set off to sea.
It was too windy to do shooting practice, so now aiming to do some shooting tomorrow. Also still have to go through Art’s expedition first aid kit bag, to make sure we all know what’s in it and how to use it.
Leven started showing me how to complete certain tasks on board such as handling the fuel cell and where and how to store technical equipment.
In the evening we all went out to Cambridge Bay again for some dinner. The sign reads “Welcone to Cambridge Bay.”
Because the truck only has three seats, I ended up on the loading deck. Karts was driving like a madman over the gravel roads and I got shaken pretty well. Beef burger and burgers made of muskox and caribou, all delicious.
For tomorrow’s post click here.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE EXPEDITION
22 July – LHR to YCB
2 August 2024 (Cambridge Bay to Starvation Bay)
4 August 2024 (Starvation Bay to Wellington Bay)
12 August 2024 (From Wellington Bay 6h further Westward)
15 August 2024 (53mi/96km from Botany Island to Richardson Islands)
18 August 2024 (from Richardson Islands past Marker Islands)
22 August 2024 (23mi/37km Westward from Miles and Nauyan Islands past Lady Franklin Point – extremely tough conditions – ‘MISSION IMPOSSIBLE’)
23 August 2024 (Dreadful 10 miles – 12mi/19km – that felt like 100 miles to Douglas Island; welcome committee of two dozen seals)
25 August 2024 (An easy 19mi/31km from Douglas Island to Lambert Island; MS Fridtjoff Nansen passing)
27 August 2024 (An easy 7mi/9km along Lambert Island; yacht Night Owl passing by us)
28 August 2024 (STARTING OUR 64MI/104KM PUSH EARLY; passing Hanseatic Spirit, MS Roald Amundsen, yacht Honshu)
29 August 2024 (Arriving at Cape Hope after 64mi/104km – new team best)
30 August 2024 (EMERGENCY BEACHING at a bay next to Cape Hope)
31 August 2024 (CABIN FLOODED; LEAK FOUND)
Mike’s Poem about our Northwest Passage Expedition
3 September 2024 (REPAIRING HERMIONE)
DETAILS OF LEVEN’S MASTERPIECE: THE PRELIMINARY REPAIR and preparation of the re-launch of Hermione
4 September 2024 (A LOT OF DIGGING and another unsuccessful attempt to refloat the boat)
5 September 2024 (REFLOATING HERMIONE, MOTORING TOWARDS PAULATUK; MILITARY PLANE PASSING)
6 September 2024 (BACK TO ROWING AFTER EMERGENCY MOTOR BREAKS)
8 September 2024 (my 50th birthday; ALMOST CRASHING THE BOAT into rocks; Skynet; a pod of whales)
12 September 2024 (starting our last big push before Paulatuk; RUNNING AGROUND 3X; BIOLUMINESCENCE; Northern lights)
13 September 2024 (ALL HELL BREAKING LOOSE – ALMOST CRASHING INTO CLIFFS)
NORTHERN LIGHTS, 15 September, near Paulatuk
15 September 2024 (REACHING PAULATUK)
16 September 2024 (eating proper food; shower; the good life)
19 September 2024 (flying back home; 5 flights; Breakfast Club at Inuvik Airport)
Stefan will be rowing the Northwest Passage this summer – A little Q&A
Northwest Passage Expedition – Kit List
Trevor’s Travel Trivia IX – The Northwest Passage
My home town’s newspaper, Burghauser Anzeiger, has published an article about the Expedition
