Børge Ousland

Position update 00.30 CEST: 63.29966 N, 54.388 W

Position update 12.31 CEST: 62.39343 N, 51.92798 W

Position update 23.08 CEST: 61.45834 N, 50.25781 W
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Expedition Report, 17.59:
“We still have the wind with us and make good progress. All night it has been blowing directly from behind, but we have to be a bit careful in the high waves. When the boat starts to surf we get great speed, which is dangerous on the high seas due to the risk of capsizing. So we have only used our small sails – the jib and storm jib – since the wind is still strong. That works fine.

Today we also had some sun, so it hasn’t been quite as wet as the last few days. I even managed to dry my sleeping bag in the mast. It was very wet.

Two small whales followed our boat for a while, the first whales we have seen since the Barents Sea.

The water temperature was 9 degrees Celsius yesterday, but has now dropped to 5˚C, no doubt because we are closer to the Greenland coast.”

Best regards,
Børge

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Sailing with jib and storm jib.

Trygve at the helm.

Position update 12.48 CEST: 64.24548 N, 57.20169 W

Position update 17.22 CEST: 63.84686 N, 56.07428 W

Position update 22.05 CEST: 63.46272 N, 54.95032 W

Position update 23.16 CEST: 63.39582 N, 54.72073 W
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Three sailors on board the “Northern Passage” – soaking wet, but intense as they make their way southeast off the coast of Greenland.

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Note: Someone asked about sailing speed. Here is my calculation:
Distance sailed: 38.21 nautical miles (70.77 km) (Computed by www.gpsvisualizer.com)
Time elapsed: 4 hours 34 minutes = 4.567 hours
Average sailing speed: 8.37 knots

In the last 24 hours the “Northern Passage” has covered 310.57 km, or 167.7 nautical miles.
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Today’s weather forecast:
Weather: Sunny with cloudy intervals. Dry.
Wind: 320–340° at 25–30 knots, after 18.00/21.00 UTC becoming 310–330° at 20–25 knots.
(For a more comprehensive forecast, with explanations, please see Weather4Expeditions.com.)

While we’re waiting for a position update, you can feel the cold, salty spray in
this video, recorded three days ago. I received it just now. – Olav

Vince handles a soaking wet task without complaint: He is trying to retrieve
a much-needed carabiner from one of the pontoons, in rather rough seas.
(26 September)

Position update 11.42 CEST: 66.50252 N, 60.6752 W Past the eastern tip of Baffin Island.

Position update 14.26 CEST: 66.23422 N, 60.60416 W

Position update 17.28 CEST: 65.99248 N, 60.26447 W Well into the Davis Strait.

Position update 23.02 CEST: 65.44682 N, 59.64877 W Leaving Baffin Island behind our wake.
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Note, 11.50: The “Northern Passage” is now south of the Arctic Circle! (which this year is at 66.5622°N)

Note: This excellent map by Rikki shows the positions of both the “Northern Passage” and “Peter 1st”. Around 23.00 they were just 7 nautical miles apart (!), with the former slightly farther south, and the latter slightly farther east.
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Expedition Report, 18.44 CEST:
“This is the third day with gale winds and heavy seas, but at least we are sailing more or less in the right direction, and south. It’s three degrees Celsius in the water. It has rained the last two days and everything is wet. We feel quite fragile in our little boat in these conditions, sailing between large icebergs very far away from everything – but on the other hand, it’s a good feeling to manage to achieve progress and experience this strong and harsh nature so close.

Today’s video is from our exposed front deck, where we frequently have to crawl out to reef sails etc.

There are three to four metre high waves coming at us from all directions,
which makes it very difficult to sleep.”

Best regards from
the “Northern Passage”

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The crew of the “Northern Passage” is challenged by icebergs and gale winds
on Baffin Bay and in the Davis Strait. Nevertheless, there is a task that can only
be done from the exposed front deck…

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Eric Brossier writes: “I’m now back from a quite incredible trip on board the little
trimaran from Cambridge Bay to Pond Inlet. I’ve put some more news and pictures
online.”
http://vagabond.fr/news/20100926-1018 and http://vagabond.fr/album/NordOuest2010
(The latter link points to a very extensive photo collection.)

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Today’s weather forecast:
Weather: Overcast with moderate to heavy rain, no significant change.
Wind: 110–130° at 23–28 knots, after 12.00 UTC becoming 090–110° at 20-25 knots.
Again after 18.00 UTC becoming 060–080° at 18-23 knots, and after 24.00 UTC
changing to 020–040° at 20–25 knots.
(For a more comprehensive forecast, with explanations, please see Weather4Expeditions.com.)

Position update 00.39 CEST: 69.72659 N, 62.16422 W

Position update 12.26 CEST: 68.81646 N, 60.64014 W

Position update 17.07 CEST: 68.26905 N, 60.51279 W

Position update 23.20 CEST: 67.6292 N, 60.62222 W
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Børge at the computer. The “office work” consists of writing expedition reports, reviewing weather forecasts and ice reports, studying satellite photographs, answering questions from journalists, sending out photographs and videos, and keeping up on crucial correspondence. The laptop is modified to be especially robust, but is nevertheless showing the strain of Arctic conditions.
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Expedition update, 22.31 CEST: Gale winds and heavy seas. It will be another day before the wind turns. We’re ready to face a tough night.

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Today’s weather forecast:
Weather: Gradually increasing/thickening cloudiness, followed by moderate to heavy rain after 21.00/24.00 UTC.
Wind: 100–120° at 10–15 knots, after 9.00/12.00 UTC becoming 110–130° at 15–20 knots, and after 15.00/18.00 UTC becoming 110–130° at 22–27 knots.
(For a more comprehensive forecast, with explanations, please see Weather4Expeditions.com.

Position update 05.22 CEST: 71.26649 N, 64.99289 W

Position update 11.12 CEST: 70.8944 N, 63.55969 W

Position update 15.14 CEST: 70.53017 N, 63.30426 W

Position update 17.16 CEST: 70.35678 N, 63.11456 W
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Expedition Report, 20.22 CEST:
Not much to write home about today. We have sailed into the middle of Baffin Bay to dogde the largest concentration of icebergs. We still see a few, but there are a lot less here than there were closer to the coast of Baffin Island.

Position update 19.42 CEST: 71.60248 N, 67.90604 W

Position update 23.18 CEST: 71.51109 N, 66.79297 W
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Expedition Report, 19.16 CEST:
“When we came to Pond Inlet, late on 23 September, Trygve Rushfeldt was waiting for us on the beach. Logistics worked very well this time. The forestay had arrived, and was safely delivered to Tom Livingstone in Pond Inlet, (another of our friends and good helpers on this voyage!) and Trygve arrived the night before.

“Peter 1st” was already at anchor, and helped us by moving Trygve and our new supplies onboard with their little rubber boat. They invited for tea onboard “Peter 1st”, but we were eager to get things done. We started working to replace our forestay, and when we were done with that it was already late at night – and far too late for tea. It was very nice of the Russians to invite us and we should of course have done things the other way around.

Anyway, we have more or less only one thing in our heads now – and that is to get south as quickly as possible. Grease ice is forming in Baffin Bay and last night it was minus 11 Celsius in Resolute Bay. Also in Pond Inlet it was cold. The last few days we’ve had icing on deck, which had to be hammered off. We really have winter on our heels; the nights are very dark and bitterly cold. The good news is that we should not be encountering any more drift ice. The bad news is that we will meet a lot of icebergs on the open sea. The big ones are easy to spot, but the smaller ice debris, which can still weigh several tonnes, are very dangerous and not easy to see. These heavy, ice-coloured objects float low in the water.

It was sad to say farewell to Eric in Pond Inlet, but it’s good to have Trygve on board. He is an experienced multi-hull sailor and former fighter pilot – now he is about to get into new routines onboard the “Northern Passage”.

We are currently sailing southeast on Baffin Bay.”

Best regards from
the “Northern Passage”

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Trygve Rushfeldt is the new man on board the “Northern Passage”

In the Arctic, good housekeeping means regular bouts of knocking off ice with a rubber mallet.

Listen. Can you hear the sea?
That constant, endless, rhythmic sound?
It’s her heart.

So many have traveled, too many a tale.
Shhh. She always has something to say.
Do let her speak…

Her colour is one: sky and soul.
It’s your colour, really.
She reflects all that surrounds her.

Would it make a difference if they understood?
It’s so difficult to look inside.
Would any! of them bother to change?

Okay…

Listen, how much time do you have?
An eternity? Good.
So does she.

But, wait. I think something’s out there.

A small boat, sailing so swift and strong.
Such a beautiful colour: sky and soul.
I almost missed it.

And, who is that sailing?
Oh, good.
It’s all of mankind.

– Jean Macheledt

Position update 05.06 CEST: 72.17566 N, 72.05371 W

Position update 11.33 CEST: 71.87658 N, 70.15863 W

Position update 17.05 CEST: 71.66952 N, 68.68729 W
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Baffin Island meets sailors with glaciers and towering sea cliffs. This photograph is from the northeast coast near Clyde River, a bit south of the expedition’s present position. (Photo courtesy of Ansgar Walk and Wikipedia.)
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Note: The “Northern Passage” is continuing south in Baffin Bay. But did you know that our multinational team currently is sailing between the largest and fifth largest island in the world?

Greenland is commonly considered the world’s largest island (Australia being classified as a continent), with an area of 2,130,800 square kilometres. Baffin Island measures in at No. 5 with a respectable 507,451 km2. Madagascar, Borneo and New Guinea are somewhat larger in area, and far larger in population. Baffin Island counts 11,000 souls. The native Inuktitut name is Qikiqtaaluk, meaning “the place of glaciers” – and there are plenty of those, sending massive amounts of ice adrift on the nearby sea.

The central part of Baffin Island is covered by Barnes Ice Cap, which is retreating fast due to global warming, thinning at the rate of one metre per year. Barnes contains Canada’s oldest ice, some of it more than 20,000 years old.

It is difficult to imagine the distances up here. The distance from Pond Inlet, the northern port on Baffin Island, and the southern tip of Greenland, corresponds to roughly half the distance between the east and west coast of the USA!

Or to put it another way: The voyage ain’t hardly over yet!

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PS. Here are some additional recent photographs.

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Finding a way through the Bellot Strait.

Stopping at an ice floe in Bellot Strait.

Monsieur Vincent (biting fingernails) has a bad knee and receives treatment from Dr. Børge. (Photos: Eric Brossier)

Position update 14.07 CEST: 72.77167 N, 76.62604 W

Position update 22.42 CEST: 72.45138 N, 73.95175 W
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Note: After just a few hours in Pond Inlet, the “Northern Passage” sailed onward toward Baffin Bay. They are ready for the challenging crossing and the long southeastward journey towards the southern tip Greenland.