NW Passage 2011 - To See Our Changing World

[drpohl]

Captain to Sail the Northwest Passage

Everett-based sea captain Douglas Pohl has announced his intention to sail his 55-foot expedition motor vessel, the Grey Goose, through the fabled – and dangerous – arctic waterway known as the Northwest Passage this summer, and is offering “share-the-ride” berths for adventurers contributing to the expenses of the voyage. This is not a commercial venture for profit but rather a trip of a lifetime and the expenses are shared by those who join the expedition.

Captain Pohl plans to leave from his outfitting port of Mobile, Alabama in May 2011, and then sail northwards along the Atlantic coastline of the United States and Canada before crossing over to Greenland. By late summer he expects to complete an east-to-west traverse of the Northwest Passage, and by the fall reach his new home port of Astoria, Oregon.

Potential crew mates may join Captain Pohl for the entire voyage, or board the Grey Goose for just a port-to-port leg of the voyage.

The Northwest Passage, coursing along the northern coastline of Canada and Alaska, is widely considered by mariners to be one of the most difficult sea passages in the world. It has been ice-blocked throughout history, and only with the recent impact of global climate change has the waterway been free of ice long enough in the summer for a successful crossing. In August 2009, nine small vessels reportedly traversed the Northwest Passage, and the waterway is expected to again be ice-free this year. Captain Pohl estimates that the Grey Goose will be one of the first hundred vessels in history to sail the Northwest Passage.

“It’s a chance to do something that very few people have ever done,” said Pohl, adding that those who partake of the adventure will stand in an exclusive circle among nautical enthusiasts.

Additional information is online at northwestpassage2011.com

Smooth seas,

Doug

[chadlaroche]

Intriguing......

[drpohl]

After 26 years of sailing the world as a licensed USCG Master it was time to retire and get a little dingy... (pun intended)

After looking from coast-to-coast I finally found what I was looking for... an all steel boat that started life as a Bruce Roberts sailboat but was bought from a midwest farmer as a partial skeleton without much form by an International Harvester engineer who's brother was a boilermaker-shipwright... together they had the good sense to build with heavy scantlings... they added a full length protected wheel/rudder keel with 1/2" plate and turned a sailboat dream into a modest expedition motor vessel with a diesel main and genset plumbed to a closed loop keel cooler and dry stack exhausts.

I bought the boat two years ago and have been preparing for the voyage home to Astoria Oregon where I plan to snowbird between Alaska and California/Mexico... or may cruise east or west - time will tell - but first was a shake down trip of some 5,000nm around the 'Great Loop' from Florida up the east coast to the Hudson River, Erie Canal to Oswego NY, down Lake Ontario, through the locks to Lake Erie, up Lake Huron then down Lake Michigan to the Illinois River, Mississippi River, Ohio River, Tennessee River, Tombigbee Waterway into Mobile Alabama where I'm currently continuing to outfit for the voyage home when I learned that 5-10 privates boats a years are transiting the NW Passage - one of the few benefits of global warming - an August-September ice free window of opportunity through the fabled Northwest Passage.

So I'm well on my way in outfitting the MV GREY GOOSE - departure is set for May 2011.

Details are online at northwestpassage2011.com

If there are other boats interested in joining us on what might be called the GRAND LOOP over the top we would welcome the company - safety in numbers in such a remote part of the world.

Smooth seas,
Doug

[Jens1]

I wished I could. Unfortunately I have to work.
I am not a gold-ass.

I'm looking forward to read how it will be.

[drpohl]

Be careful what you wish for - your poor choice of inferrance words reflects on your character xxx lack there of.
Please be respectful with your comments.

[boatman61]

ROFL.... one can always find an insult if one searches hard enough....
All he's saying is he has not got the $'s...... chill man

[drpohl]

Guess its how you say it as well as the words you use... (I'm sure you have heard that before from the Admiral) so when you say it the way he did it inferred that he was saying it towards me - he did not direct his comment at himself.
Smooth seas

[Adax]

Looking forward to reading about your trip . If I could go I would . But I also have the problem that where the back loses its good name there is also no precious metal activity...apart from the fact that there is no boat.

Honestly I don't think that the OP meant offense. I read it entirely as commenting on his financial state of affairs. Different cultures,different lingos and all that.

Fair winds to you.

[drpohl]

I see it now... guess I would not have chosen to make such a comment if I was him since it doesn't add to the previous posted subject matter... definitely different culture and lingo...
Thanks

[Jens1]

Originally Posted by drpohl

Be careful what you wish for - your poor choice of inferrance words reflects on your character xxx lack there of.
Please be respectful with your comments.

I apologize and I regret if my comment causes strong feelings. It is the translation of a famous German fable. The story is about a donkey who was able to produce gold coins by ,,, (you know)
It is quit often used in German when people trying to explain that they have not enough money to pay for what they would like to have or to do.

And, if I would have enough money I would join you for your trip.

So please take my comment with a sense of humour as it was intended. It is hard to get the correct translation from GE to EN sometimes.

[drpohl]

Thanks for the clarification... when someone says it the way you did I took it as referring to me - my mistake - I didn't know about the reference in German folklore to that phrase. Live and learn.
You would be surprised by peoples comments who don't know I worked my way up through the hause pipe to take command and after 26 years and three cirumnavigations to retire... nothing was handled to me nor was there "a silver spoon in my mouth" (an American folklore saying for you).
Smooth seas

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by drpohl

Thanks for the clarification... when someone says it the way you did I took it as referring to me - my mistake - I didn't know about the reference in German folklore to that phrase. Live and learn.
You would be surprised by peoples comments who don't know I worked my way up through the hause pipe to take command and after 26 years and three cirumnavigations to retire... nothing was handled to me nor was there "a silver spoon in my mouth" (an American folklore saying for you).
Smooth seas

Man... you are old..... its Platinum these days....LOL

[SaltyMonkey]

So, whatcha say, Boaty? Wanna get us a Wharram and make it a race?

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here and I'd like to hear about your adventure when it occurs. Too many irons in the fire for me to make it but I wish you well. We have all nationalities here on the forum so you are bound to hear some terms that you may not understand. It doesn't mean they are meant to demean you. Just ask.
kind regards,

[hummingway]

The NW Passage holds a special place in the hearts of many Canadians and I wish well on your journey. Summer in the north is a special time when the black flies come out and frolic with the mosquitos and the musk ox do the "I hope winter comes soon and kills these damn flies" dance. It's a joy to behold!

Seriously though, I wish you well on your journey and you can rest assured the flies don't wander off the tundra.

There are members here in the forum with experience sailing north and south at latitudes most of us avoid so hopefully you will make some good connections here and can share stories and advice. Those of us with a more pleasurely bent to our sailing still enjoy the stories.

Speaking of south that's another place special in the Canadians heart but we like to stop well before it gets cold again