Missed yesterday’s post? Click here.
Now looks like we might start our expedition this Thursday evening by rowing from Cambridge Bay to Shawn’s cabin, fingers crossed. Looks like we will then be rowing for 2.5 days before seeking shelter by anchoring near the coast for a couple of days to avoid the bad weather.
BREAKFAST
Today was by far the quietest day yet. Slept in. Leven arrived at 10am. Art & Mike made some nice breakfast with hashbrowns and the usual eggs and bacon. I continue to drink a lot of fruit and vegetable juice to make sure I get all my vitamins and won’t get scurvy BEFORE the start of the expedition. Also bought 24 cans of Dr Pepper a few days ago because why not.
LUNCHTIME RUN
Art and Mike then left with Leven to have a shower, do some laundry (incl. a few of my clothes) and to run some errands. I went for a short 4.5k (3mi) run in heavy rain, this time to the West, away from Cambridge Bay. Same repetitive, flat, green, brown, grey tundra as towards the other direction, but even less cabins.
GOOD HAUL OF SNACKS
Bought tons of snacks in the afternoon, incl. Beef jerky, dried sausages, cheese, dried fruits, nuts, peanut butter, honey, muesli, and more of those entirely flavourless pilot cookies. Also purchased 5 or 6 different sauces like soy sauce, tabasco, sriracha, as well as mustard, salt, pepper, herbs and spices. Last not least I bought four large containers of hot chocolate powder (requiring only hot water, not milk, to be added).
DINNER
For dinner, the four of us had grilled pork chops with the vegetables I had prepared yesterday.
QUIET BEFORE THE STORM GOOD WEATHER
I suspect that tomorrow will be another quiet day with bad weather. Art is thinking about staying on board of Hermione from tomorrow until Thursday. For a moment I thought about joining him, but then decided to opt for the comparative “luxury” of Chez Shaun.
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
Post-expedition Q&As – Coming back from the Arctic after two months