Børge Ousland

Position update 06.44 CEST: 73.89235 N, 144.0809 E

Position update 08.05 CEST: 73.29118 N, 144.44313 E

Position update 16.22 CEST: 72.7618 N, 144.82976 E

Position update 19.58 CEST: 72.80444 N, 145.78304 E
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Expedition Report, 11.22:
“For two days we have been fighting changing winds and rather calm conditions. We got trapped on the wind side of a huge, flat island – the size of Jylland – with very shallow water all around. Tacking against the weak winds meant slow progress, but today we managed to escape southwards toward the mainland. We sailed across ten nautical miles where the water depth was only 2–3 metres.

It turned out that this was in the nick of time, because the wind picked up – exactly as forecasted – and waves rose quickly due to the shallow water. Fortunately, just then we reached deeper waters.

Winds are expected to increase from the southeast the next couple of days, so again we’ll be fighting headwinds, but we will be in lee of the mainland where there will be less wave activity. The waves can become quite dangerous when strong winds wreck havoc in these shallow waters.

At the moment we are not making much eastward progress, but we have travelled southward – and are happy to have escaped that trap behind the big island.”

Best regards,
– Børge

Stas is dressed and ready for his battle against the elements!

We’re moving at 7.3 knots, catching a 2.2 metres-per-second southwesterly wind, and registering a water temperature of 7.3˚C. That’s surprisingly warm!

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Forecast:
Weather: Sunny spells, scattered clouds, probably no fog.
Wind: 130-150° 12-16 knots, after 12.00 UTC becoming 150-170° 13-18knots, gradually further increasing following night.

(For a more comprehensive forecast, with explanations, please see Weather4Expeditions.com.

The five videos below, which we have just received and made available on
YouTube, document the highly varied challenges faced by the “Northern Passage”
on the Laptev Sea.

Navigating through ice on the Laptev Sea. (1)

Navigating through ice on the Laptev Sea. (2)

Finally! We have reached the end of the ice field along Taymyr Peninsula,
in the western part of the Laptev Sea.

Sailing in storm on the Laptev Sea.

Interview (in Norwegian) with Børge as they leave the Laptev Sea.

Position update 04.18 CEST: 74.35467 N, 140.84627 E – in the Sannikov Strait, due north of Little Lyakhovsky Island.

Position update 08.25 CEST: 74.31047 N, 141.80927 E – slowly but surely, another degree longitude

Position update 16.24 CEST: 73.85278 N, 142.7394 E

Position update 20.19 CEST: 73.91218 N, 143.40088 E
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Note: They are now within the Inmarsat coverage zone, and have just sent new photographs. Please scroll down, and you will see where they have been added to the blog. More to come!
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Expedition report, 04.27:
“This is the daily report from the “Northern Passage”, on the 23rd of August at 04.27 Norwegian/Central European time. We have come further east in the Sannikov Strait, which is our passage through the archipelago known as the New Siberian Islands. Right now we are rounding the northern shore of Ostrov Maly Lyakhovskiy, the lesser of the Lyakhovsky Islands.

Not long ago we were slowly cruising along one of the largest islands, Kotelny, which is huge – 240 km long. We struggled with a soft wind and frequent windstill, while making our best effort to tack along the coast of this vast island. It was quite monotonous; the coast facing us was a uniform 20 metres high.

The only thing we have observed is a lonely polar bear who seems to have missed his ride when the ice retreated northward. Now he wanders restlessly and confused over the island, looking for a seal or something else to eat. We have registered sea temperature of eight degrees, which is surprisingly warm. And yet there is very little wildlife. We are actually a bit frightened by this loneliness, desolation, and this abandonment by life. We do not know whether this state of affairs is normal for this time of year, but I can only describe to you what we observe. We know that there is a rich animal life here when there is ice; there are lots of seals then, and the polar bears have excellent hunting.

We are now leaving the Laptev Sea and entering a new sea: the East Siberian Sea. That should prove exciting! The ice reports we have received from Nick Hughes and his colleagues suggest that we should seek toward the northern coast of Siberia and follow the coastal lead eastward. Apparently a vast ice field extends pretty far southward.

All journeys long and short require a steady supply of fresh water. Børge has solved that in an ingenious manner by constructing a water collection system under the mainsail. It’s a kind of “gutter” of waterproof material that collects dewdrops from the sail. At night these drops flow quietly through a little plastic pipe into a large fabric bag that hangs at the foot of the mast. In the morning we have up to 25 litres of dew-fresh water. In this way we have a reliable supply of freshwater. As mentioned, we have also provided us by the drift ice.

We have no need to go ashore for water. The three of us have everything we require and are doing perfectly well on board the “Northern Passage”.

Should it be absolutely necessary in order to avoid danger, we have fuel for the outboard motor. But our plan is plain sailing all the way to Port Barrow, Alaska.”

Best regards,
– Thorleif

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PS. Today it is exactly two months since the “Northern Passage” left Oslo.

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Updated weather forecast:
Weather: Sunny spells, broken cloud cover, no precipitation.
Wind: 110-130° 8-12 knots, after 09.00/12.00 UTC becoming 120-140° 5-10 knots, and after 21.00 UTC becoming 140-160° 4-8 knots. So during the day the wind will slowly veer from ESE to SE to SSE.

(For a more comprehensive forecast by Marc De Keyser, with explanations, please see Weather4Expeditions.com.

Position update 01.36 CEST: 75.21425 N, 136.92693 E

Position update 15.32 CEST: 74.71484 N, 138.52434 E – The “Northern Passage” has followed the coast of Kotelny Island, nearing its southern tip.
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The winds have been less ferocious than expected. This morning the “Northern Passage” started sailing for the Sannikov Strait, on a route that will take them through the archipelago called the New Siberian Islands, into the East Siberian Sea. In case anyone is keeping track, their voyage has so far passed along the edge of the North Sea, northwards on the Norwegian Sea, as well as across the Barents Sea, the Kara Sea, and the Laptev Sea.

Expedition report, 16.06:
“We have spent the day on a southeasterly course toward the Sannikov Strait. Unfortunately, the wind subsided all too soon and has now died down almost completely. We were a little late leaving our sheltered spot up the coast – we should have left earlier and made good use of the wind that was available. But we’ll just have to deal with the weather and wind, or lack thereof, as best we can. At least we’re on the move and have entered the Sannikov Strait.”

Greetings from the “Northern Passage”
– Børge

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Today’s weather forecast:
Weather: Sunny spells, increasing risk for fog or low cloud cover.
Wind: 270-290° 3-8 knots, further turning via 020-040° to 100-120°and increasing to 5-10 knots (after 18.00 UTC).

(For a more comprehensive forecast with explanations, please see Weather4Expeditions.com.)

Position update 08.38 CEST: 75.10608 N, 136.43646 E

Position update 10.34 CEST: 75.29781 N, 136.65401 E
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Leeward of Kotelny Island
The “Northern Passage” has covered an amazing 10.5 degrees longitude in just 24 hours –– crossing the Laptev Sea in just two days to reach the New Siberian Islands! They are now just west of Kotelny Island (Ostrov Kotel’niy), which covering 11,700 km² is the largest of the archipelago. This is the leeward side, meaning that Børge, Thorleif and Stas have succeeded in their effort to reach shelter from the storm that is expected to reach these waters in the course of the weekend.

For more, read the Expedition Report posted yesterday evening.
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Expedition Report, 12.37:
“We’re done for the day, having sailed over most of the Laptev Sea in one long haul. Very early today we reached the New Siberian Islands, and are now sheltered offshore one of the islands, roughly where our last Spot position indicates.

Gale-force winds and turbulent seas have dominated the day. That’s due to the shallow waters, which are down to 14 metres depth in the open ocean. In much of the stretch that we sailed on the Laptev Sea, the depth was a mere 20–30 meters, and a bit of wind can make that sea very chaotic, indeed. As a result, the last two days have been a rather bumpy ride, and very tiring, and we’re relieved to have reached our intermediate destination: the New Siberian Islands.

It is a cloudless day and no longer matters so much that the wind is still raging – and in fact picking up force – since we’re safely sheltered on the leeward side of one of the islands. We look forward to a good long rest.

When the wind dies down sometime tomorrow morning, we’ll probably continue through the Sannikov Strait, which leads through this archipelago. Indications are that the weather will be somewhat different than first forecast by our meteorologist – the conditions really are changeable up here. We’re likely to have a headwind, having ended up a little too far north relative to the local weather patterns. So tomorrow we may have to spend most of the wind sailing against the wind.

I’m afraid I have no new photos for you until we reach Inmarsat coverage. For now you will just have to rely on our descriptions and your good imagination.

Now we’re about to take a good long nap – every last one of us!”

Best regards,
– Børge

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Today’s forecast:
“They crossed the Laptev Sea and are about to enter the New Siberian Islands. At this moment and probably for the remainder of the day they will have an average wind of about 15-20 knots from the SSE to SE, triggered by the secondary depression over the Lena Delta.”

Weather: Sunny spells, probably no fog.
Wind: 140-160° 15-20 knots, temporarily increasing to 18-23 knots average. After 21.00/24.00 UTC wind at 140° 15 knots.

(For a more comprehensive forecast by Marc De Keyser and his excellent explanation of current weather patterns, please see Weather4Expeditions.com.)

Gale winds on the Laptev Sea.

Position update 04.00 CEST: 74.8198 N, 124.0132 E – continuing almost due east

Position update 08.25 CEST: 74.67605 N, 125.94798 E

Position update 17.46: 74°37’ N, 129°50’ E (approximate)

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(Note: Please read yesterday’s informative expedition report from Thorleif.)

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Today’s forecast:
Weather: Surface humidity is 90-100 % so probably foggy, sun above the fog layer.
Wind: 180-200° 5-10 knots after 9.00/12.00 UTC, becoming 160-180° 15-20 knots!

(For a more comprehensive forecast by Marc De Keyser and his excellent explanation of current weather patterns, see Weather4Expeditions.com.)

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Expedition report, 17.46
“This Friday August 20, and our position is 74°37’ N, 129°50’E. At the moment we sailing for all this boat is worth, speeding along at 8–9 knots on an extremely bumpy sea. We’re doing our best to reach the shelter of the New Siberian Islands, before the storm centre that is approaching from the south hits us full force. We are keeping a very careful look out for driftwood, which we do not fancy crashing into – and certainly not at this speed. The reason for our worry is that the Lena River, one of the largest rivers in the world is nearby, and it spits out an incredible amount of driftwood into the sea.

Thanks to our excellent team of experts at the Norwegian Ice Service in Tromsø, we reached ice-free seas. Our destination is the New Siberian Islands; this is where Fridtjof Nansen’s allowed his ship “Fram” to freeze into the ice, before drifting across the Arctic Ocean.

All is well, with crew, boat and equipment. It’s an extremely bumpy and rather tiring endeavour to try to manoeuvre our trimaran when we are going this fast. But we feel inspired, excited and are in control so far.

Our plan is to reach the leeward side, west of one of New Siberian Islands, until this storm has passed. It is expected to pass Saturday or Sunday. You’ll hear from us tomorrow how our passage went.

It must be mentioned that we are about to cross the Laptev Sea in just two days – and that is a very good pace!”

Greetings from the “Northern Passage”,
– Thorleif

Position update 03.29: 75.28112 N, 114.97359 E – (green arrow)

Position update 16.36 CEST: 75.24033 N, 119.19875 E – sailing the open sea

Position update 20.37 CEST: 75.18174 N, 120.97093 E – staying an easterly course at 6–7 knots
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Today’s forecast:
Weather: Sunny spells with scattered clouds, mostly dry.
Wind: Weak from variable directions, after 9.00/12.00 UTC becoming 220-240° 8-12 knots, slightly decreasing.

(For a more comprehensive forecast by Marc De Keyser and his excellent explanation of current weather patterns, see Weather4Expeditions.com.)

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Thorleif, Børge and Stas were more than happy to leave
the ice behind today! At least most of it –– just to be on
the safe side, they’ve collected a hefty amount of ice to
replenish their freshwater supplies.
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Expedition report, 23.37:
This is the Expedition Report from the “Northern Passage”. It is the 19th of August and we are now at 75°N, 122 °E, and that means we are headed eastward in the Laptev Sea.

After passing Cape Chelyuskin, we have sailed 300 nautical miles through the ice. It has been quite a slalom run, half of it in fog. The challenging conditions forced us to run double shifts to avoid dangerous ice. Fortunately, we had relatively moderate winds, so that we were able to solve the challenges in a responsible manner. After hugging the coast, we were able to pass through a gap in the ice, and are now sailing eastward through a wider ice corridor, between the ice in the north and dense ice in the south. We are well on our way across the Laptev Sea.

On the coast east of Cape Chelyuskin, we experienced that our trimaran really was an excellent solution for the conditions we faced. As we’ve mentioned before, there is often less ice close to land – but here the shallows extend a long ways out. Fortunately that presented no problem for us; the “Northern Passage” has a draught of only 41 cm. And to keep our weight and draught to a minimum, every piece of equipment is chosen with the utmost care.

Unfortunately, the shallow seas here also allow the winds to whip up waves and wreak havoc. The Lena River to the south of us doesn’t make matters any better. There are gale winds coming, and we hope to make it as far eastward as possible before the rough weather hits us and makes life unpleasant. With the shallow waters here, the driftwater from the Lena River, and northern currents, it can be quite hefty during a storm.

We have recently heard that our Russian colleagues on board the “Peter 1” have had to head for Tiksin, the closest port in this region, for repairs after the collision with the ice. We are sorry to hear that and find it regrettable. We wish them well.

We have great respect for the waters here and are taking the utmost precautions. We hope to avoid similar accidents.

Otherwise, I must tell you that the passage through the ice was a fantastic scenic treat! Much of the time we sailed through thick fog, but there were also moments when sunlight was streaming down through gaps in the cloud cover. It was like sailing through a lunar landscape, or a landscape of another planet! The icebergs and ice floes had the most remarkable formations, and some were almost like sculptures.

We have seen very little wildlife, mostly walrus and bearded seals in groups, resting on the floes. Otherwise, we’ve seen some birds, but like the Kara Sea little signs of whales.

We are currently doing about 8 knots and sailing in the right direction. We hope the next day and night will treat us well.

Arctic greetings,
Thorleif

Position update 21.00: 75.38967 N, 113.88593 E – (green arrow)
Sailing eastward, crossing through the ice field.
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Today is an exciting day, as Børge pointed out in yesterday’s Expedition Report. The “Northern Passage” is aiming to reach, and pass through, a gap in the ice belt that has long blocked traffic in the westernmost part of the Laptev Sea.

Their plan is tantamount not only to hitting a moving target from a great distance – but a disappearing target! Weather and ice conditions in the area are highly changeable, to put it mildly, so there is no guarantee the gap in the ice will still be open when they get there.

In a brief message this morning, Børge reports that it is virtually windstill and foggy today as well. They are still running slalom through the field of loose ice floes that are drifting near the coast.

In many respects, today is a decisive day – and time is of the essence.
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Expedition report, 22.31:
This has been another foggy day. We feel like Vikings slowly making our way through all this pack ice. It’s exciting, but we must admit that it gets tiring in the long run. There are only three of us, and we always have to be two on duty, so we’re starting to get pretty tired.

We have come down to the waypoint shown on the satellite image. We have turned east and are now starting to sail through the ice field. Hopefully we will succeed and make it through during the course of the day. (Ed.note: It’s 04.30 and Thursday morning in the Laptev Sea. Times stated in the blog as CEST, except when noted.)

There is a storm forecast for Saturday. After careful deliberations, we have nonetheless chosen to head out to sea and ride out the storm. Otherwise, we would have needed to wait four days here on the coast – and that simply was not a tempting solution. We’re heading for the open ocean and will take whatever comes. We have prepared for such eventualities. The “Northern Passage” is equipped with a sea anchor and other equipment that will come in handy when the going gets rough.

As we approach Saturday, we’ll follow developments closely. Well, that’s it – not only do we have ice to contend with ice, but we’ll soon be facing stormy seas. We certainly have exciting days and challenges ahead.

The main thing, as we see it, is to press onward. We are very happy to once again be on an easterly course toward Point Barrow, Alaska. That prospect is especially welcome after winding our way along the coast of the Taymyr Peninsula, first on the western side, and now on the ice-filled eastern side, as long as we have done.

Now we’re sailing east!

– Børge

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Today’s forecast:
Weather: Very cloudy to overcast with periods of slight sleet or snow. Very high relative humidity: foggy.
Wind: 040-060° 3-8 knots, after 18.00 utc becoming 020-060° 8-13 knots.

(For a more comprehensive forecast and an explanation of current weather patterns, see Mark De Keyser’s blog.)

Position update 02.06: 76.78821 N, 110.12824 E
(green arrow, zoom out if needed)

Position update 14.29: 76.64178 N, 112.0249 E

Position update 18.50: 76.60189 N, 112.68207 E
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Today’s forecast:
Weather: Very cloudy with a few showers.
Wind: 010-040° 5-10 knots, after 12/15.00 utc becoming 020-060° 4-8 knots.
(For a more comprehensive forecast and an explanation of current weather patterns, see Mark De Keyser’s blog.)
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Expedition report, 19.37:
“It’s high time for a new report from the ice. We are slowly but surely making our way along the coast here. As you can see, we are now sending more frequent Spot messages, so you can see where we are. For the most part we are following the contours of the coast; by and large there is less ice right up against land. We are cruising along, making our way amongst small and large ice floes – some places the are quite close, while other places are much more open.

We have been lucky most of the day and had a good run earlier. But towards the end of the day thick fog seeped in over the water. The fog makes sailing quite a challenge; we have to be careful and need two men on watch all the time. One stands in the bow and keeps a lookout, so that the man at the rudder can react quickly and sail slalom between the floes that appear. For once it suits us well that there is little wind, for it allows us far better control. We are sailing along at a mere two or three knots and progress is slow.

This is an exciting phase of the expedition. We have received fresh satellite images from Radarsat that have been analyzed by Nick Hughes at Norwegian Ice Service (Istjenesten) in Tromsø. The satellites show that there is an opening in the ice farther south. We hope to reach that area tomorrow – for we have found a route through the ice belt, if we arrive in time. It’ll be very exciting to see if we can pull it off and slip through the passage in the ice. If we succeed, we’ll essentially be finished with this ice belt that has long been closed the shipping lane along this coast.

Right now, however, the fog is dominating our situation. It creates a beautiful and magical atmosphere. We are handling the combination of ice and fog and are making steady progress. Naturally it would be nice to have better visibility, but we see no reason for complaint. Gale winds would be dreadful in these ice-filled waters. Double watches and lack of sleep is a small price to pay.

We have seen lots of walruses and bearded seals today. Surprisingly we have yet to spot a polar bear, for there are excellent hunting conditions here with so much life on the floes. Walrus are rolling and grunting on the ice and in the waters of the bay. Right now it’s zero degrees in the water and zero degrees in the air.”

Greetings from the ice!
– Børge

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Calm day with rain showers.

Sharing open water with a bearded seal.

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Note: Here is a map showing the route sailed so far,
since Murmansk, based on positions reported (courtesy
of Telenor Maritim Radio)

Position update 04.10 CEST: 77.32885 N, 106.7193 E

Position update 13.48: 77.0116 N, 107.47663 E

Position update 19.26: 76.82639 N, 108.43146 E
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Expedition report, 13.56:
“After we passed Cape Chelyuskin yesterday morning, we continued east on the Laptev Sea. However, after a short while we were forced to conclude that the ice has formed a dense wall, a huge ice belt extending from north to south.

In consequence we have had to follow the shoreline, charting a more southerly course, following a large bay and finding our way forward. We have run slalom, sailing slowly through the drifting ice.

Being compelled to stay ever watchful may be a bit tiring, but it has given us some great nature experiences. Walrus and bearded seals lie lazily on the ice floes, watching us curiously as we sail past. There are no people in this area. All the sounds we hear are nature’s own: icebergs splitting away from glaciers or larger chunks of ice, walrus diving, the breath of whales and walruses as they surface. The scenery is stunning; we are cruising alongside a coastal wilderness.

We observe that the ice is drifting slowly northward, and Nick confirms this. In a day or two, this may well open an opportunity for us to once again chart a more easterly course across the Laptev Sea. That remains to be seen, of course, and we are eager to see what tomorrow brings.”

Best regards,
Thorleif

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View from the mast – charting the course may now require surgical precision.
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Note – two worthwhile links for today:
Weather forecast from Marc de Keyser
Animation of ice movement from Neven