Northwest Passage Expedition – daily update 31 July 2024

Missed yesterday’s post? Click here.

Not much happened today. Departure now likely to be Friday, 2 August, in the mid-morning.

BREAKFAST

Art & I prepared some sausages and eggs for breakfast around 10:15am. Then packed the vast majority of our remaining gear onto the back of our pick-up truck and drove the 15mins to the Martin Bergmann and our Hermione.

ART’S EXPERIMENTS

My long-held suspicion was further sustained today: Art believes that as long as he is fast enough, the truck’s tyres will not have time to drop into any of the millions of potholes but just shoot over them without disruption to the vehicle or the screaming German holding onto dear life on the loading deck. Furthermore, evidence starts building that our artful Arizonian also aspires to ascertain if the Lorentz Contraction is a real thing. Do objects really become shorter if travelling at a substantial fraction of the speed of light.

 

MOVING MORE GEAR ON BOARD OF HERMIONE

Getting everything on board of the Bergmann and then from there onto Hermione was no easy task, considering that both vessels were moving on the uneven sea. The distance between the pier and the Bergmann varied but was at times well over a metre. Same with the distance between the Bergmann and Hermione, just even much shakier.

(c) Art Huseonica, left photo above, right photo above and feature photo

REPACKING AND STORING EVERYTHING

Once all gear was on board, each of us took a turn repacking everything and storing it in the assigned location. Small maintenance works here and there. We took the two reserve oars out of the bow cabin and attached them to the “railing straps” together with the pair of spare oars already attached to it.

TIGHTENING THE ROPES

Tightening the ropes between the two vessels took some time. “My” rope was the one going between the bows of the boat and the ship. As a third-rate (mainly indoor) climber, I know a few knots, but nothing that was of much use here. I studied the existing knot, then loosened and untied it, then tightened the rope, then tried to do the exact same knot again. When Leven inspected it, it turned out to be a different knot, but one that works fine, too.

BANTER, B&B, BACK TO THE CABIN

After an hour or so, the Bergmann crew, who had been shopping, arrived. Banter ensued and we chatted with them for a while, until they made their excuses and left us on deck to have lunch in their quarter. A short while later we left too, to get some more stuff from the hardware store, then pick up some things from Leven’s B&B room. At 3pm we were back at Shawn’s cabin.

DINNER, DOGS, DELIGHTFUL CANOES

Spent the late afternoon doing admin and running some errands. Dinner was sausages with fried vegetables. Mike and I went for a walk after dinner. Spotted more cool guard dogs and some strange – but fun-looking giant canoes with outboarders.

TOMORROW NIGHT ON BOARD OF HERMIONE, LEAVE ON FRIDAY MID-MORNING

The plan is to move out of our current residence tomorrow morning, then have a farewell lunch with Shaun and Patty. After that, Art and I will get the rest of our gear on board of Hermione. Mike and Leven will toss a coin to settle who gets the bed and who the sofa. Art & I will probably join them for the rest of the day but then go back on board of Hermione for the night. First night on board for both of us.

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