Guest blog from Shaun Weng from Bejing. The first Chinese solo world circumnavigator
Shaun and his crew on board the boat Eagles Quest II popped out the east end of the NW passage around the same time as we did, and we by chance moored up alongside them in Ilulissat, Greenland . Over a week of travelling in kind of convoy with them down to the South of Greenland we got to know them. Here Shaun comes onto our boat where we have both anchored up in fareshaven on the 24 September and we asked him to share with us his experience of completing the North West passage this year.
Hello I’m Shaun Weng the first Chinese solo circumnavigator, I’m 57.
Now we’re in the south part of the Nuuk, Greenland. We come here is end of North West passage. It has been my dream for several years; I’ve been prepare for this for at least 4 years ago. At that time ice was a big problem but the funny thing is that when finally my colleague bought this boat Eagles Quest II and I’m captain it, we do this passage we see no ice anymore. So just 4 years of waiting; no more ice, and we probably create a new record that is the first boat or first group of boat sailing through the North West passage without ice and that’s amazing, that sees how climate changing affecting all of us especially the sailor…. If you look at our boat we’re not very professional.
Another surprise to this passage is that because ice free that make unviewed lots of things, new things that previously people don’t even have a thought about it. For instance we were in the Eclipse Sound in the end part of the North West passage we go into this inlet, theres a many beautiful mountains fjords and animals and also the trick of the native lifes. And this, to lots of early explorers which is only about 10, 15 years ago, is not possible because when they get to the passage first they want wait… ‘is ice broken? when ice is melt they want hurry up because it is long passage. Now with ice free all of these things available.
And we have to think how to use this resource and not cause any more damage. This is probably last of a beautiful land we ever see.
Shaun