Blog - Page 13 of 34 - The Polar Ocean Challenge

We have the radar on, to spot the big icebergs in these waters. It’s pitch black outside and the watches are lonely and cold. No stars

N 73 51 W 074 24 Pressure 996 Air1 water 3.4 UTC 0530 13 Sept Well after a horrid night of avoiding ice, this mornings watch was a delight. The mountains either side of Lancaster sound were so clear. Covered in new snow. Glaciers…

PRESS RELEASE 12th Sept

NorthaboutLeg3NWpassageNo Comments

PRESS RELEASE 19.18 UTC on 12th September The Polar Ocean Challenge successfully completed their quest to sail the North East Passage and North West Passage in one season. The North West Passage was completed in an astonishing 14 days due...

11-12 September ICE lumps in Lancaster Sound, Baffin Island to the right

NorthaboutLeg3NWpassageNo Comments

Sailing east through Lancaster Sound met with lumps of ice the size of cars. Day watch and night watch with torches on the bow. Winter sunset over Baffin Island; feels like winter is really setting in here. Note the wave splash at...

Transforming the Arctic

NorthaboutCrew(b)log2

Steve Edwards, crew, Lancaster Sound 15.00 UTC 12 Sept Mountaineers and polar explorers still struggle a bit with protecting their faces from the extreme cold and biting winds in high mountains and polar regions. However the motorbike, quad bike and…

Half day update 12 Sept

NorthaboutShips log6

N73 50.7 W 079 43.3 Pressure 1004 water 1.29C, air 0C Lancaster Sound 14.30 UTC 12th Sept Wind on our nose, but magnificent scenery on either side of Lancaster sound. Sun on the glaciers, a few ice bergs in the distance. Another day at the office!…

I jumped down to the wheel, hit the standby button and yanked the wheel sideways. The boat swerved quite wildly and we missed it by ten meters

NorthaboutCrew(b)log1

Ben Edwards 12 Sept Lancaster Sound Ice! just when we thought it was all over. For the past day we’ve had the wind and tide behind us, we’ve been doing nine knots at times. So of course, right at the…

The bigger bits you can see on the Radar. I have just come off watch, my brain is frazzled, probably from the Radar but the concentration you need is intense

NorthaboutShips log4

N 73 50 W083 17 pressure 1008, water 1.2C, air 0C Lancaster Sound 11.00 UTC 12 Sept Well, slowly up Prince Regent Sound, we came to our ice as forecast but it had nearly sealed off the strait, if we didn’t get through, then it…

September update

NorthaboutArctic sea ice science newsNo Comments

Click image to start slideshow nasa-worldview-from-the-terra-satelitte-north-pole-8-sept-2016sea-ice-decline-21st-century-trans-arctic-shipping-routes-by-nathanaelmelia-et-al-sept6-2016arctic-sea-ice-volume-august-2016arctic-sea-ice-extent-as-of-sept-10piomas-polar-science-center-3-septnsids-13-sept-2016-ice-extent Arctic Sea Ice minimum volumes 1979 - 2015 Arctic Sea Ice movement summer 2016 until 10 Sept

11 Sept 15.00 UTC Prince Regent Inlet, north. Sea ice diversion

NorthaboutLeg3NWpassage2

The ice charts are showing that we are going to have difficulty getting round the top of our channel into Lancaster Sound and the ice is moving towards the coast so it is getting harder. A section of the ice...

Bellot Strait: The most worrying aspect of the transit is that we didn’t see one piece of proper ice, not even a floating ice cube for a G & T.

NorthaboutShips log8

N72 38 W091 56 Pressure 1008, water 1.5C, air 0C Sunday 11 Sept UTC 0500 Local time 23.00 Saturday 10th Sept 5 knot following wind, snow flurries One of the best days of the trip. I got up for my watch this morning, no wind,…