Missed yesterday’s post? Click here.
Got up at 9pm. Had some porridge, some hot chocolate, some granola, and vast amounts of peanut butter.
PREPARATIONS, WORK ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE HULL
At 11:30am we started the preparations for the repair works process. At 2:30pm, about half an hour before the lowest tide, we started the actual repair works. Leven spent more than half an hour under Hermione’s hull, while she was held up on the bow side by a beam of driftwood. We had used a shovel to dig out enough space for a human to move under the hull and use tools and materials.
WORK ON THE INSIDE OF THE HULL
When we had finished the work on the outside of the hull, by around 3:30pm, work on the inside of the hull began and took until 6pm. For more detailed information about the repair works click here.
DINNERTIME, PREPARING FOR THE LAUNCH
We all cooked ourselves some expedition rations for dinner. Then, at 7:45pm we started getting ready to lower Hermione into the water and get her floating with the 9pm high tide.
A FULL PROGRAM AND A NEWLY IDENTIFIED ISSUE
We replaced the wooden beam with the inflatable main fender, did more digging, got the ratchets ready to be tightened or loosened, pumped the water out of the compartments under the deck, got rid of the remaining seaweed, etc. Our skipper also discovered yet another potentially expedition-ending issue. He made an attempt to fix it and believes it might have worked.
WHERE IS THE HIGH TIDE?
9pm arrived and time went on, but the tides didn’t come anywhere near the required levels. We kept on monitoring the levels for another 30 minutes, but the levels started going down again. We will try again tomorrow morning at 9am. Fingers crossed.
NIGHT SHIFT
I had the first polar bear watch shift of the night with Leven. With the low winds the log fire, for the first time since our emergency beaching, produced some warmth, so the shift was quite bearable.
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
2 Comments
Atmospheric photos. The ‘low’high tide means it must be a Neap Tide…
Hi Katherine, Ellie here posting Stefan’s response: Thank you… Oh… and re neap tide, according to our skipper still spring tide. It’s very weird indeed.