Missed yesterday’s post? Click here.
Got up at 5am for my first proper polar bear watch shift of the day. It was still darkish then. Can’t believe how we got from the sun never setting to almost proper day-and-night cycles THAT quickly. It is a bit of a concern of mine that it might be A LOT harder to spot bears during dark nights, even more so when the thick fog of the fall season starts settling over the Arctic land and waters gradually more frequently.
It seems that we are unlikely to see anything as much as the eleven polar bears encountered by last year’s team. Some people tell us that we are unlikely to spot any polar bears in the polar bear habitat we are in at the moment, and more likely to spot grizzlies in the grizzly bear habitat we will be entering later during our journey. Despite climate change, overlaps of those two bear species’ territories are still rare. National Parks Canada seemed to find it entirely likely that we will come across a few polar bears. Their bear-related advice was largely relating to polar bears, not grizzlies.
BIRD BLISS – L’AMOUR ARCTIQUE
At around 6am a cute pair of Arctic terns (“Just ‘terns’ up here in the Arctic,” Shawn would say) rocked up. They were very playful and came up to 3m or 4m (9.8ft to 13ft) close to the boat. At times they were dancing around each other mid-air, maybe they were lovers on their honeymoon. Other times Leven and I would watch them hover in a stationary position close above the water. And when an unsuspecting fish made its way close to the surface, they would dive down into the water to catch the prey.
Most of the day was spent in anxious anticipation of the next rowing section of our expedition, discussing different approaches, the current plan for the coming week, the ever-changing weather forecasts. Until 11pm it looked like we were going to put our oars into the riggers at midnight, then Leven decided to make it 1am, to allow for the winds to further settle down.
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
