Northwest Passage - 2016

[jackdale]

Northabout, The Polar Expedition Challenge sailboat, has transited the Northern Sea Route, stooped in Barrow, crossed into Canada and is headed for Tuktoyaktuk.

[jackdale]

Crystal Serenity in the NWP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Emoq9OC744

Video: Crystal Serenity in the Northwest Passage

There are reports of 250 foot sailboat in the NWP as well. I cannot locate any information.

[jackdale]

S' more about The Polar Ocean Challenge

In keeping with this, satellite images show that routes through the Passage are now relatively ice-free.

In fact, if they want to, the Hempleman-Adams and the rest of the ship's crew could actually sail nearly all the way to the North Pole, since sea ice cover is largely absent to about 86 degrees north, according to Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado.

After unusual Arctic storms, sea ice coverage in region is plummeting

[jackdale]

Great graphic



2016 Mega-Dipole - Arctic Sea Ice

[StuM]

> In fact, if they want to, the Hempleman-Adams and the rest of the ship's crew could actually sail nearly all the way to the North Pole, since sea ice cover is largely absent to about 86 degrees north, according to Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado.

Typical Serreze alarmist distortion. If you look at your own image in your next post, you will see that sea ice cover is "largely absent to about 86°N" in just one narrow sliver.
They could only sail there if they backtracked to where they were in the East Siberian Sea weeks ago. Where they are now, there's 100% ice cover all the way from 70°N to the pole

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by StuM

[I]> Where they are now, there's 100% ice cover all the way from 70°N to the pole

OK they would have to backtrack to to 86N, but their intended course is ice free.

They are currently in Tuktoyaktuk (69°26′34″N 133°01′52″W) which is ice free. Much of the Beaufort Sea is ice free, The NWP is pretty much ice free up to and including 75N.

[svtatoosh]

Novice sailboat crew lauds Canada after rescue in treacherous Northwest Passage - British Columbia - CBC News

[StuM]

Originally Posted by svtatoosh

Novice sailboat crew lauds Canada after rescue in treacherous Northwest Passage - British Columbia - CBC News

He advertised for crew here several times. Here's his first one I think:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ay-164957.html

[hpeer]

I take it he is afloat and continuing?

[jimbunyard]

Originally Posted by svtatoosh

Novice sailboat crew lauds Canada after rescue in treacherous Northwest Passage - British Columbia - CBC News

There's rescue and then there is 'rescue'. It appears (the 'story' is rather sketchily written) that they are continuing on their way, after running aground in unfamiliar waters. Don't know about anyone else here, but I've unexpectedly spent the night a couple of times in very well charted areas that I felt I knew quite well...

And, if they make it, it appears they will do it in about a quarter of the time of (the possibly mythical?) David Melgueiro. Of course, they know it's do-able, don't have to worry about rapacious pirates and have a hell-of-a-lot better technology.


Anyway, here's a couple of images showing the eastern entrance of the Northwest Passage, taken 7 days apart, that I though might be interesting. The upper was taken today, the lower was taken on 8/27. These images are about 500 miles on each side, that was a pretty big snowstorm. 'North' is to the right in these images, the eastern end of the Northwest Passage is to the upper center left, Ellesmere Island is in the upper right corner, Greenland is in the lower right corner, Nares Strait is to the center right, and Baffin Bay is to the lower left.


It's interesting to note that the snow had little to no effect on the sea ice(yet); all passages that show open in the second picture are open in the first.


Today




August 27

[jackdale]

Current conditions



Northabout's current location

Tracking - The Polar Ocean Challenge

No information on the location of Eagles Quest II after their grounding.

Marine Traffic shows a number of vessels in the NWP.

[svtatoosh]

Originally Posted by hpeer

I take it he is afloat and continuing?

Eagles Quest apparently does not broadcast it's position via AIS very often.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by svtatoosh

Eagles Quest apparently does not broadcast it's position via AIS very often.

The last position on Marine Traffic was Barrow on August 7.

[svtatoosh]

Eagles Quest @ Cambridge Bay about a week ago. There has been tension.
A FB Search will bring up a public site for "Eagles Quest ll - Arctic Expedition"

[JPA Cate]

This was apparently the first recorded complete crossing of the Northeast Passage.

--Boatie

It's like the modern world, if it's not written down, it didn't happen, but I'll bet someone had done it a long time before, people who were used to surviving in that environment. We just don't have records of it.

Still, good on him!

Ann