Børge Ousland

Position update 07.24 CEST: 71.29523 N, 156.79129 W

The “Northern Passage” has arrived Point Barrow – and it is still Sunday evening, Alaskan time.

PS. You can reward yourself with a shower now.

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Expedition Report, 07.51:
“We’ve again had a rough spell today. (not audible) … repairing it until we get a new forestay. It looks like we will remain in Point Barrow tomorrow. There is an even stronger wind coming from the east. We need to make our repairs and will use opportunity to change the oil on the engine and take care of various other tasks that need doing.

Vincent and Ibrahim are soon coming on board. It will be great to see them again.

We also look forward to getting new supplies and to start afresh. Looking forward to get forward as quickly as possible. But first and foremost we need to repair our forestay, and we will time our departure to take into account the weather. There is of course still headwind, a powerful wind from the east. It’s terrible that we have been so unfortunate. These conditions, with a constant headwind in our face, have been absolutely hopeless for us. We really do hope that the weather will soon change. ”

Best regards,
Børge

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Note: Our meteorologist Mark De Keyser has just added an informative article on the weather, climate and seasons of Point Barrow, Alaska. Read it on his blog, Weater4expeditions.com.

Position update 07.59 CEST: 70.60403 N, 160.30981 W – Passing the little town of Wainwright

Position update 12.18 CEST: 71.02143 N, 159.865 W

Position update 19.28 CEST: 70.94073 N, 158.46678 W

Position update 00.48 CEST: 70.93648 N, 157.59128 W

Position update 03.56 CEST: 71.19276 N, 157.0192 W
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Expedition Report, 10.14 CEST:
After five days of tacking in the Chukchi Sea, we could finally feel the smell of the Alaska wilderness, even far out at sea. We reached the coast this morning and had a friendly chat with the skipper on a passing tugboat. “Welcome to America!” said the unmistakable accent. We expect to reach Barrow tomorrow, where our crewmembers Vincent and Ibrahim are waiting and have prepared everything for a short pit stop.

It has been a tough voyage for our little trimaran. Just an hour ago we discovered that the forestay is partly broken! With this eventuality in mind, we always have had a halyard attached to the bow – and that saved our rig! We hoisted an inner stormstay and storm jib (our “Katalysator” sail), contacted Corsair Marine to urgently supply us with a new forestay, and worked out a plan for an improvised forestay solution should the spare stay does not arrive in time at Point Barrow. We have to be in the Northwest Passage further east before the cold season and passage starts to freeze, roughly at the end of September.

For that we will need favourable winds. In that respect the forecast is not good at the moment. We will also meet ice east of Point Barrow. In other words, this is not an easy match. However, we have established good routines on board that have enabled us to manage vicious gales, incessant headwinds and extensive ice fields even in the dark of night. And so we feel confident that we will also cope with the challenges that lie ahead. Rest assured: the “Northern Passage” is operated by a small, but strong team!

This will be the last night with our Russian crewmember and friend Stas on board. He has achieved his goal of sailing the entire Northern Sea Route, from Murmansk to Alaska. Fifteen years ago he skied and dogsledded through the Russian and Siberian wilderness, from west to east. That is an incredibly long overland journey! Now Stas has sailed the entire coast, and in this way he has “embraced” the beautiful and enormous land that is Russia.

Last night Stas prepared a meal of light-salted Arctic char and Russian bread for the night watch – and he shared his collection of Russian soldier songs from the Second World War. Thanks so much for everything, Stas!

We are ready for Alaska! And we are looking forward to welcoming our new crewmembers on board: Vincent and Ibrahim.

Thorleif, Captain
“Northern Passage”
Alaska

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Another challenge: our forestay is partly broken.

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Note: The “Northern Passage 2010 Expedition” is attracting attention amongst many interested in climate change. Here is an article in the largest and most widely read American climate blog, ClimateProgress.org

At Point Barrow there will be a change of crew.

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Stas will soon be flying home to his girlfriend Irena…

…while Vincent and Ibrahim are eager to help challenge the Northeast Passage!

Position update 20.29 CEST: 69.78807 N, 168.32016 W – North of Point Hope. Water temperature: 9.0˚C

Position update 08.01 CEST (4 Sept): 69.66011 N, 166.08485 W – moving steadily east.
Position update 12.01 CEST (4 Sept): 69.7204 N, 164.98604 W
Position update 16.23 CEST (4 Sept): 69.91871 N, 163.91893 W
Position update 20.26 CEST (4 Sept): 70.12795 N, 162.96527 W
Position update 23.59 CEST (4 Sept): 70.3325 N, 162.10086 W
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Expedition Report, 21.16 CEST:
We are still on the way to the Alaskan coast, and are now tacking again. But we will hold this position and go straight east and wait for a new burst of southerly winds that are expected to arrive in a few hours.

The big news today is that we have left Russia and entered US waters! So now we are officially finished with the Northeast Passage, which has been an interesting but demanding exercise. Demanding because we had much more headwind than expected – and headwind is our most vulnerable direction. All other variations are ok, but we loose too much time when tacking. Our boat has performed extremely well in all other conditions, but headwind and tacking are unfortunately not the best conditions for this type of boat, since we are unable to go as high up against the wind as we would like to.

It will be interesting to see what the Northwest Passage can offer with respect to weather. Hopefully we will have better conditions there.

I take this opportunity to change my Devold woollen underwear for the first time on this trip. It is not that I really need to, but it’s nice to celebrate that we are done with the East, and feel fresh and ready for the West. It is actually an old Norwegian tradition to change underwear on special occasions. When Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen overwintered at Frans Josef Land in 1895–96, they celebrated New Year’s eve by turning their underwear inside out.

I am more fortunate since I brought two pairs.
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Best regards,
Børge

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Børge Ousland maintaining a long tradition…

Here is a photo of their last documented bath (27 June) – although rumour has it the trio has showered in their various ports-of-call. There is also a hardy Scandinavian tradition of rolling naked in the snow, but at this time we are unable to confirm whether their excursions onto the ice floes have included such activities.

Position update: 69˚41 N, 170˚50’ W

Expedition Report, 06.22 CEST:
From our position in the middle of the Chukchi Sea, the sea between the Russian autonomous area of Chukotka and Alaska, the 49th state of the USA, we can look back on a voyage through the Northeast Passage – or the Northern Sea Route, as they say in Russia.

It is obvious that the conditions met by the early explorers such as Vitus Bering, Fridtjof Nansen, Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld and Roald Amundsen no longer exists. We passed through in a few weeks, while our predecessors were forced to overwinter once or even twice. Still, it is not an easy passage for any kind of boat or vessel. There is still ice, although not to the extent there used to be, but plenty to make conditions unpredictable for ships. In addition many of the seas you have to pass are very shallow. In the East Siberian Sea, the shipping lane is located 50 nautical miles off the coast, in order for there to be sufficient depth for bigger ships. Lights, buoys and nautical markings are scarce.

In the 1930s the USSR prioritized the Northern Sea Route as a major development project. Despite massive investment in infrastructure, navigation aids, ships and establishment of local towns along the coast, the Sea Route never did become “the highway of the north”.

Today, however, it seems that this old vision of a more regular passage of ships, at least in the summertime, is being reawakened. Atomflot, the operator of icebreakers in these northern seas, has a fleet of modern ships. During our weeks along this coast we have been in daily contact with people representing this organisation and other authorities – and from the first moment we have meet professionalism and service-mindedness. They have not questioned the presence of a tiny trimaran zigzagging in between ice floes, but welcomed our presence and interest. Of course the Russians are not alone in searching for opportunities in the north. The Norwegians are most definitely making their efforts as well. A look at our list of sponsors is telling. It includes North Energy, the Centre for High North Logistics in Kirkenes, Tschudi Shipping and the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association (New Horizons).

We understand the possibilities in Arctic shipping, and we fully understand the challenges. One of them is the sensitivity of this marine area. However, we do believe that based on the professionalism we have met so far among our Russian and Norwegian friends, the visions of future shipping along the Northern Sea Route can be developed in a balanced and secure way.

We have sailed through the Northeast Passage. At the moment our challenge is a prevailing easterly wind that is forcing us to tack the whole way across the Chukchi Sea. To put this challenge in perspective, I should mention that Chukchi is twice the size of the North Sea. We’re making our best efforts to sail tactically, using downloaded weather files and good advice from our weather magician Marc de Keyser. Just 70 nautical miles to the north, we find our friends on board “Peter 1”, whom we are happy to see back on track after their repairs in Pevek.
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Thorleif Thorleifsson, captain
“Northern Passage”
3 September, Chukchi Sea

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Update: The water temperature is 7.5 degrees. If we weren’t sailing, it would be a great temperature for a swim!

In the dark of night, on the Chukchi Sea off Wrangel Island, three men steer
the “Northern Passage” past ice floes and icebergs. Persistence and caution is
demanded every moment of their journey!

Expedition Report, 09.57 CEST:
“We are still fighting headwinds. Will try to go south to catch some better winds and get across to Alaska, then following the coast up. That’s the plan – and we keep on fighting, as always.”

– Børge

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Position update 10.20 CEST: 69°40′ N, 175° W (approximate)

Another day at the office for Børge – the few minutes he can spare.

Beauty and danger: drifting icebergs off Wrangel Island.

Expedition Report, 08.56
Do we gain a day when we cross the date line? I do believe so – and certainly hope that’s the case.

The weather has calmed down, which is very good after a rather special night with a stiff breeze and lots of waves. It gets very dark at midnight now, so we do double watches: one to keep a lookout for ice while another steers the boat. It is tiring, but absolutely neccessary. We are only a single accident away from failure … we must never forget that. In such conditions we reduce our sails to a minimum, in order to control the boat and sneak ahead, more or less in the right direction until the light returns. A half moon between the clouds helped us a bit last night.

We decided to sail through the ice belt rather than around it. We are now actually in the middle of a belt of drift ice that streches from Wrangel Island southwards. In tomorrow’s report we’ll tell you more than I can now. I assure you it’s quite exiting sailing!

However, we have reached another milestone: We have just crossed the International Date Line. And of course a Big Hurrah for my mother who has a birthday today!”

Best regards,
Børge

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Update 20.23: “Just a quick note to tell you that we managed to cut through the ice field. The ice was not as thick as along the eastern shore of the Taymyr Peninsula; nonetheless it was quite difficult since we sailed throughout the night. It was very dark with heavy swells at times. Luckily the wind was rather weak. At the moment we are at 70˚25’ N, 178˚30’ W. We’re sailing northeast. It’s the best we can do against this very difficult headwind.”

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To make progress we need to use all our skills, tacking against the headwind on the Chukchi Sea.

We spent the night sailing through a large ice field. Here’s Thorleif on watch. Today we continue charting a careful course through the ice.

Weather conditions certainly do change. After leaving Pevek we watched the sunset with calm seas.

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One week ago: Stas sailing in gale winds on the East Siberian Sea. (24 Aug.)

Position update 08.39 CEST: 69.99609 N, 176.1991 E
Note: Also “Peter 1” confirms problems with satellite coverage and reporting of Spot positions.
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Expedition Report, 08.55 CEST:
“We started out just fine from Pevek, but some hours ago we again got a headwind – a stiff breeze straight in our faces. These hopeless wind conditions seem to haunt us and keep delaying our journey. Moreover, according to the weather forecast this is likely to last for several days. Big steel boats such as “Peter 1” can just start up their diesels and plough through. Our little outboard can do nothing in such waves; the propeller will be lifted out of the water for each wave and won’t provide any progress. We are forced to tack against the wind and waves, which takes twice the time.

We persist, as always, but right now it feels a bit frustrating!

The “Northern Passage” is charting a course along the coast toward Cape Schmidt (Mys Schmidta), a settlement due southeast from our present position.”

Best regards,
Børge

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PS. I am told our position messages are not registering.
I assure you we are regularly sending Spot messages, every 4 hours.

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Wrangel Island – the northernmost UNESCO World Heritage Site
Wrangel Island (Ostrov Vrangelya) is a breeding ground for polar bears (having the highest density of dens in the world), seals, Walrus, and lemmings. During the summer it is visited by many types of birds. Arctic fox also make their home on the island.

Woolly mammoths survived there until 1700 BC, the most recent survival of all known mammoth populations. However, due to limited food supply, they were much smaller in size than typical mammoths. Domestic Reindeer were introduced in the 1950s and their numbers are managed at around 1,000 in order to reduce their impact on nesting bird grounds. In 1975 musk ox were also introduced. The population has grown from 20 to about 200 animals. Recently, Arctic Wolf have been spotted on the island; wolves have lived on the island in historical times but previous packs were eradicated to reduce predation on reindeer and musk ox.

The flora includes 417 species of plants, double that of any other arctic tundra territory of comparable size and more than any other Arctic island. For these reasons, the island was proclaimed the northernmost UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

The rocky island has a weather station and two fishing settlements on its southern shore.
(Source and photo: Wikipedia)

Filling out papers. Yuri (on the right) was most helpful! (See video below.)

A barrel of petrol – just for us!

A very happy Captain Thorleif Thorleifsson finds good cause to celebrate!

Nicolay and Dmitry – our two good helpers in Pevek.
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Expedition Report 09.15:
“Border guards and customs officials arrived from Anadyr at mid-day, and they were very helpful filling out all the papers we needed. Yury from the local border guard was especially helpful – we owe him a big thanks for all his help in this rather complicated process.

As soon as the papers were in order, Stas ran off to the petrol station together with our local helpers Nicolay and Dmitry and purchased 250 litres of petrol. He brought back hot coffee and fresh bread as well. So now we are again three happy sailors!

We had the pleasure of linking up with the many boys and one girl on board “Peter the 1st” – a very nice team of explorers! Their rudder seems to be repaired, but they are still working on the propeller shaft, so they couldn’t leave today, but hope to leave tomorrow.

We wished each other the best of luck and safe sailing. And then we started up our faithful little Tohatsu 9.8 horsepower outboard motor, leaving Pevek harbour behind in absolutely calm weather. There was scarcely a wave on the sea.

We definitely made the right decision to go into Pevek to refuel.”

Best regards,
Børge

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Skipper Daniel and Børge in front of “Peter the 1st”.

The crews of “Peter the 1st” and the “Northern Passage” meet at last.
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Today’s forecast:
Weather: Sunny spells, scattered to broken cloudiness.
Wind: Calm until 12.00 UTC, then picking up from 120-140° 4-8 knots, after 21.00 UTC increasing to 120-140° 10-15 knots.
(For a more comprehensive forecast, with explanations, please see Weather4Expeditions.com.

Report on Norwegian Television (NRK)
Yesterday, journalists Eivind Molde and Paal Wergeland broadcast en excellent report with fascinating footage and a video interview with Børge Ousland. You can watch it here. Be sure to scroll down for three additional videos.

(Test your linguistic skills, or find a Norwegian friend to translate it for you!)

Well over two months ago, before the “Northern Passage” left Oslo, Norwegian Television broadcast this report (19 June). Here too there are several videos.

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