Northwest Passage Expedition – daily update 30 August 2024

Missed yesterday’s post? Click here.

Over the night the winds gradually changed direction and grew yet stronger. The waves started breaking further and further away from the shore. At some stage about a quarter of the waves passing us were breaking while they did so. Once or twice a minute a wave would shake the boat so badly that you would have to hold onto something in order not to risk being kicked off the deck. A lot of water washed furiously over the deck with those bigger waves. With the smaller ones it was still a lot of sea spray.

FINALLY, SOME BANG FOR MY BUCK

At 7am, I started another bear watch shift, this time with Karts. At 8am he was relieved by Leven. Jokingly I said to Leven, “finally some bang for my buck, this adventure hadn’t been that adventurous until now.” As usual, Leven was up for a bit of banter, picking it up where I had left it and within a couple of minutes, we both were spinning the most bizarre ideas of what is or would be and what isn’t good value when it comes to expeditions in general and in particular.

“THIS IS AN EMERGENCY”

Right in this moment of levity, Leven suddenly shouts “Wake Mike up. This is an emergency. The rocks are getting closer very quickly. Anchors must have slipped or the chain ripped off. We might have to abandon the boat.”

THIS IS NOT A DRILL

Leven woke Karts up and continuously shouted commands at us. Check depth! Remove daggerboard! Move water canisters away from railing! Tell Mike to pack warm clothes into sealed drybags! Secure daggerboard in safe position! Don’t leave latches open a second longer than you need to! Put that stuff into the blue box! Get me that stick! Pass me the reserve anchor! Watch out, I’m throwing the anchor!

ELECTRIC MOTOR OF NO USE

At some stage, Leven tried the electric motor, but to no avail.

ALL MEN ON THE OARS

“All men on the oars! Row only left and backwards! Hard as you can. Now!” Leven then lifted the spare anchor and threw it again into a new position that would facilitate some kind of anchor-induced acrobatics on Hermione’s side. All while we were rowing our arses off. The rocks were now no more than 25m (85ft) away from us, and we were closing in increasingly quickly. By the most narrow margin, we managed to get Hermione further down the shore, away from the rocks and towards a stretch of pebble beach with mostly smaller boulders.

ANCHOR ACROBATICS

Leven then asked us to check the seafloor for rocks and boulders and point them out to him. He attached a second rope to the end of the rope of the reserve anchor. This would later on enable him to not have to cut or let go of the by now fully extended reserve anchor rope. Instead he would add friction by looping the newly extended rope around the portside stern cleat. He could then gradually give more rope, extend the distance between the boat and the reserve anchor while simultaneously and consequently reducing the distance between the stern and the beach. Rather than a fast chaotic and potentially dangerous beaching, he could thus retain some control over the vital manoeuvre.

BEACHING SAFELY

We managed to beach safely. Kind of. The right way to beach is full frontal, in a 90 degree angle. We beached with the boat aligned with the shore. The usual way to go about, is to get the boat far enough onto the beach that it can no longer move. We just got the boat into a position where each new breaker pushes it against the beach and the boulders. We also used a rope to secure her and make sure she doesn’t break loose.

A GOOD OUTCOME

Naturally this can only be a short summary of what happened during the process earlier today, a process that ensured no one’s life or limb was lost light-heartedly and no vessels wrecked unwarrantedly.

CUPPA TEA

One stage of the process actually involved the whole team sitting down on deck and enjoying a cup of tea, like true Brits. I’m a dual citizen and Karts certainly seems to have grown rather fond of our Yorkshire Earl Grey. This happened at a time when the reserve anchor seemed to hold Hermione in a safe and stable position after the nasty rocks had been avoided and before the boat’s bow beat against boulders submerged under water next to the pebble beach. Entirely different scenarios had been pondered over then dismissed. At some stage the plan had been for two of the crew to jump into the water well before we came near immediate beach proximity, then try to assist from land to push and pull the boat away from the bigger boulders.

TWO ANCHORS, MOST OF CHAIN, AND ARMS OF THIRD ANCHOR RIPPED OFF CLEAN

When we inspected the main anchor chain, we discovered that two anchors, most of the chain, and all four claws of the third and last main anchor had been ripped off clean as a result of the violent winds and waves pushing the boat away from the anchors. Our skipper says he’s never seen anything like it.

DINNERTIME

While I am writing these lines, I am the only one left on board. I quite like the internet, and someone should always stay on board anyway. It feels a bit like in a washing machine (an assumption, I never had the pleasure). Only less smooth and gentle. Some of the kicking movements are so extreme, I got lifted off my seating position on the cabin floor and was sent flying towards the cabin wall. The sounds vary from deep roaring sounds via mid-range thumping to relatively high-pitch rubbing squealing sounds. What they all have in common is that they share their position on the decibel-scale with a 747 during take-off and Kilmister’s bass at a gig in the olden days.

(c) Top right, photo credit Karts Huseonica

WHY ON EARTH DID WE EVER MAKE THE EFFORT

Before Mike left to join Leven and Karts, he was joking that it is weird how until now we made every effort at each anchoring location to avoid even the slightest risk of Hermione banging gently against a boulder. We really had no reason to worry, seeing what we now put the old lady through without as much as a second thought.

ANOTHER BEEF STEW WITH PEARL BARLEY, OH YES PLEASE

The others have found the remains of a rusty steel barrel for protection against the wind. They were going to heat up some water to prepare expedition rations. I might just join them.

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

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4 Comments

  1. Thank God you are all safe!! We were getting some updates from Mike which sounded worrying. Jen (my wife & Mike’s sister) suggested you should listen to the song Have a Cuppa Tea by The Kinks, I think you will like it a lot. Good luck for the next few days and wishing you all a safe passage.

    1. Hi James, nice meeting you online. No need to worry about our health or wellbeing, but thank you for the concern. I guess do feel welcome to worry a little bit about the chance of success of our expedition. We spent four weeks mainly waiting for headwinds to stop, now we have a hole in the hull and most likely it will be 10 days until we will be back at Cape Hope rowing with a freshly fixed Hermione… The time/weather window will only be open until the end of the month or so. (from Stefan)

    1. Hi Susan, hello Bob, it’s so lovely of you to follow along and be so super-supportive. Much obliged. Yes, fingers crossed we can get that hull fixed in Paulatuk this coming Friday. (from Stefan)

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