Northwest Passage Expedition – daily update 14 August 2024

Missed yesterday’s post? Click here.

Quiet day today. I fixed the dagger board with a good dozen metres of T-Rex duck tape. It had sustained some serious bruising over the previous years and with sea water entering the damaged bits the wood had started to deteriorate.

IT PROBLEM FIXED, WIFE OFF MY BACK FOR NOW

After much criticism from my lovely but rather headstrong wife for not getting the issue sorted when it arose, two days ago, I finally fixed an issue with the automatic uploading of all footage to the cloud.

ONE COURAGEOUS, CURIOUS SEAL

Our resident seal lost all its inhibitions and caution and now regularly pops up out of the water a mere 3, 4 metres (10 to 13ft) from Hermione. Sadly, it has a lot of very severe scarring around its head, including ingrown bits of trawling net. The brave fellow mammal must have gone through hell but survived. And it even kept its pleasant nature, pressing curiosity, and winning smile. This one’s got my seal of approval.

POLAR BEAR WORRIES UNFOUNDED

There was one tense moment at around 3:30pm when all the seals including ‘our’ seal had suddenly vanished, including the one or two usually sunbathing at the Northern tip of Botany Island pointing towards near-by Victoria Island. At the same time all the birds started flying wild loops across the sky and chirping manically. Then the birds were gone, too. No polar bear spotted, though. For the next 90 minutes I would keep my eyes scanning every square inch of my surrounds.

A CONTAINER SHIP, A HELI, AND A PLANE

Within a short period of time in the afternoon, we first saw a mid-sized container ship with four cranes and zero containers pass by on the horizon. Then a helicopter passed us in the distances going Westward, and minutes later a small plane going Eastward. By far the busiest day in terms of company.

WE WILL START ROWING AT 9PM

Tonight at around 9pm, we’ll start rowing again, weather permitting. This time the plan is to take advantage of the predicted calm and occasional side tail winds by moving non-stop for 24h a day. Some of it in the usual fashion with 3+1 rowing/steering rotation (2h per rotation), some of it with 1 man steering, 1 man rowing, 2 men resting. Oh, and it’s our skipper’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Leven. I accidentally made him two years older, when I congratulated him. That can only mean one thing. Someone’s in for an extra rowing shift one of these days haha…

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