Missed yesterday’s post? Click here.
Finished my 4h rest shift at 7am. Had two expedition meals, a lot of Matty Clarke’s pemmican, some raisins, some honey in warm water. Initially lots of uncertainty about the plan today. When I got up, the weather was already in severe non-compliance with the forecasts.
What do you do with naughty weather? You play it by ear and simply stay constantly prepared to lift the anchor and get rowing. That’s what we did. We left the oars in their riggers, left most of the other gear like cooker, utensils, water canisters, drinking bottles, etc. in their safe storage locations. Didn’t spread out our personal gear like unused DryRobes and jackets, food provisions and snacks, on deck (I might well be the worst at that, hands up).
At 9am the skipper announced that we’d leave at 10am. The plan was to fight against relatively low predicted headwinds for 4h and make it the 6 miles to the next reasonably safe anchoring location. Then play it by ear again.
At 10am we were on our way. Lifting the anchors had required the efforts of two of us, three of us for a short moment. It had turned out that one of the anchors had a whole marine botanical garden and some peculiar bivalves sitting on it, which took a minute to clean off.
The rowing itself wasn’t even that hard, compared with some of the complete mess we’ve been through (like making just over 1 knot for mile after mile). We managed on average 1.6 knots. However, Leven took Karts’ binoculars to scan the horizon. “All white horses” (breaking waves, indicating strong winds, in this case headwinds). It was the death knell for this morning’s rowing efforts. After just one mile (1.8km, 1.2 statute miles) we laid anchor again.
I had a nap. Then from 8 to 11:30pm we continued rowing past the DEW Line Station to a small cove at one of the smaller, unnamed Richardson Islands. The 7 mile (12km, 8 statute miles) row in the dusk through the archipelago was quite something. About two thirds into our row we passed by a well-maintained small cabin near the shore of one of the islands. But no sign of people.
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
