Missed yesterday’s post? Click here.
Got up at 4:15am for my 4h polar bear watch, starting at 4:30am.
Leven and Karts (Art prefers to be called by his nickname Karts, when on expedition) agreed a three-hour pattern, different to Mike’s and my four-hour pattern. This works well, because I get to chat a little with two not just one team-mate to pass the time.
The sun now actually sets properly for a very short while here in Wellington Bay, before rising again, and both the sunset and immediately following sunrise are a feast for the eyes. Magnificent. It also still amazes me how quiet it is. Despite wearing a beanie and three hoods, I can hear a goose 250, 300 yards away wading into the water or a fish jumping briefly out of the water.
When my time to rest had come, I made the mistake of spending a whole hour on social media and checking emails, before switching the headlamp off. I had already decided to get up 30mins before my next shift in order to have time to find a new set of base- and mid-layers and socks plus my budgie-smugglers.
When I took over from Mike, I noticed that Hermione was anchored a lot closer to the pebble beach than before. Turns out that he and Leven had (intentionally and carefully) beached the boat and gone for a little walk. No paw prints, but they did come across a dried mini-sea urchin and some caribou antlers.
(c) Photo left and right, Mike Harding
“Caribous shed their antlers just like reindeer do, right?”
“Well, this one didn’t, unless it also shed its skull and most of its rib bones.”
After their little expedition on land, the two had pushed the boat off the beach again, used the oars in reverse fashion to punt her back into slightly deeper waters, then in correct fashion, up side up, to row her a little further away from the beach before laying her anchors again. Three at the front, all attached to the same, heavy chain, one at the back, attached to a rope.
(c) Photo left, Leven Sinclair Brown
The shift went without incidents. At the beginning of my next work shift, after a good 3.5h of sleep, I went for a little swim close to Hermione. The clouds had mostly gone and in the bright sun the air temperature must have gone up to around 8C, very warm for Arctic summers in these parts. The water temperature would have been 3 or 4 degrees colder, so not too unpleasant and next to no wind.
(c) Photo left and right, Leven Sinclair Brown
Once I had climbed back up on board (not as easy as it sounds), dried myself, and put on my nice fresh clean clothes, I started doing my laundry, while Leven was doing the polar bear watching. First I washed everything in the sea. Then I filled a 12l drybag with a bit of drinking water and rinsed the clothes in it before squeezing the water out of them and hanging them. It felt good to get the clothes washed.
At around 6pm, Karts & Mike decided to go for another little stroll and beached Hermione yet again. They took the semi automatic with them and off they were. Leven had the shotgun and was happy to cover the polar bear watch duties for the time being. It was my rest time, so heavy-heartedly I remained tucked up in my sleeping bag doing my bit of dozing. For vast stretches of the previous days I had been extremely tired, so I didn’t feel like missing out on sleep was an option just yet.
We expect to be anchored in Wellington Bay for quite a few more days, unless the weather forecasts should change dramatically. There should be more opportunities to go on land and stretch my legs.
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
