The weather conditions are causing a few days delay. A southerly wind has pushed the ice away from the shore at Cape Arktichesky, where there is now several kilometres of open sea. Well, there is no point in sitting there peering northward and just waiting, so Mike and I have decided to delay the helicopter flight to Sredny until Monday. Here in the city of Norilsk there is better communication and it is far easier to fix practical matters.
Today we looked for a large inflatable boat. We’re considering paddling from the Cape to the edge of the ice. This alternative does, however, pose some challenges. There is a lot of ice sludge on the leeward side. In order to meet the challenge, the RIB has to be powerful enough to carry us far into that ice sludge, and big enough that we can spend the night on board while the ice freezes around us, thick enough that we can continue onward on foot.
Yet another possibility is to wait for the wind to shift, pushing the ice against the shore, so we can continue in the manner originally planned.
Fortunately, these delays are well within the allowed timeframe of our expedition.
