It’s great to hear that “Peter 1st” is on the way again.
This means that the crew is well, and that their boat and
sails are once again in working order. May they have safe
sailing eastward across the Atlantic!

Best regards,
Olav

Expedition Report, 18.14:
“To answer a question that was posed earlier on the blog: Yes, I forgot to mention that we have had some beautiful spells of northern lights on this trip. The moon is gone now, so when those green curtains light up the sky it is truly magnificent! We saw northern lights last night when the clouds lifted – for several hours the northern lights and stars were our companions. Unfortunately it is very difficult to photograph, and especially from a boat that is being tossed about on the waves, so you will just have to use your imagination.

We’ve had another day of good progress and quite strong northerly winds. The waves are up to 5–6 metres high, and there are moments when we can enjoy a great view from the crest of the biggest ones.

Our boat is performing very well. We have driven the “Northern Passage” hard, overloaded as she is, and ‘knock on wood’ that all parts are surviving all the way.

The only thing that is not so good, are the leaks. We’re still getting 30–40 litres in the exposed pontoon after the three–day gale, and a couple of buckets of water are entering the main hull of the boat as well – both the living compartments and the front part where the toilet is. We have not been able to pinpoint where the water is coming from, but we have heard that other Corsair owners have suffered similar problems, so it might be a fault in the design or production.”

Best regards from
the “Northern Passage”

Position update 05.09 CEST: 59.95425 N, 34.14691 W

Position update 11.12 CEST: 60.13567 N, 33.0051 W

Position update 16.54 CEST: 60.41529 N, 31.74945 W

Position update 20.21 CEST: 60.58376 N, 30.93832 W
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Note: Yesterday ExplorersWeb had an interesting article about the challenges of the North Atlantic, referring to our interview with expedition meteorologist Marc De Keyser, and interviewing the crew of “RX II”. The Norwegian crew of that boat used two seasons on their Arctic circumnavigation, breaking their boom in the treacherous waters off the southern tip of Greenland. It’s called Cape Farewell for a reason!

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Today’s weather forecast:
Weather: Sunny spells, alternating cloudy periods with from time to time a showery outbreak.
Wind: 330–350° at 16–22 knots, after 12.00/15.00 UTC becoming 320–340° at 8–13 knots.
(For a more comprehensive forecast, with explanations, please see Weather4Expeditions.com.)

Position update 11.28 CEST: 59.92304 N, 38.09052 W

Position update 23.09 CEST: 59.81925 N, 35.45367 W – Excellent eastward progress.
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Yesterday, as soon as the wind made it safe, the “Northern Passage” sailed out from the southeastern coast of Greenland. Captain Thorleif Thorleifsson and his crew is steering the boat homeward at last. It was Midsummer’s Eve when they left the Fram Museum in Oslo, in an attempt to sail through both the Northeast and Northwest Passage during one and the same season. In the face of ice and storm, headwind and windstill, they have crossed vast expanses of Arctic seas – and they succeeded!

However, the journey is not over yet. The challenge of this last leg of their journey, in a humble trimaran across the open seas of the North Atlantic, must not be underestimated. In the autumn, these seas are often described as “a motorway of storms”. In fact, it was a forecasted storm that made the “Northern Passage” seek shelter deep within the fjords of South Greenland just a few days ago.

Now they’re sailing the beneficial winds that blow near the edges of this powerful low pressure zone. There is a fine balance to be achieved. If they sail too far south, then the will will be far too strong for comfort; should they stray too far north, then the wind will be too weak to carry them homeward.

The next few days will be a test of good seamanship, endurance – and old-fashioned luck.
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Expedition Report, 18.33:
“We’re finally done with iceberg country! The last iceberg was the one I took pictures of yesterday, and since then we have seen none. The water temperature is now 11 degrees and we are well outside the range of the Greenlandic iceberg lanes. For us that’s another milestone and, equally important, one less danger to worry about. Now we can safely sail at night without any chance of hitting ice. The moon is gone and it is very dark outside, so it’s a huge relief to be this far away from Greenland.

Trygve and I do watches together, and Thorleif’s watch is with Vince. We do six hours watch at a time, which works well for two persons, since we can change steering and working the sails etc. Now we are also get enough sleep in between watches and are not as tired as we were when we did four-hour watches.

Today has been a difficult but rewarding day with heavy seas and strong wind, up to gale force during the night. But the wind has been from northeast so we have had good progress. We also tried our trisail; it’s a small triangular mainsail that adds stability to the boat in strong winds. We sailed with this and the storm jib most of the night.

It is rainy and wet, which is normal for the North Atlantic, but it’s ten degrees, which seems very warm, at least for us.”

Best regards,
Børge

The “Northern Passage” recently sought shelter in a fjord in South Greenland. In this interview, our expedition meteorologist Marc De Keyser casts light on recent weather developments and explains why this defensive move was necessary. He shares insights about his speciality, which is reflected in the name of his website Weather4Expeditions.com
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“There is a quickly deepening depression over the Labrador Sea. Friday morning it appeared for the first time on my model maps, which lit my red alert. The next run confirmed this development, with wind speeds up to 40 knots near Cape Farewell. This is the southernmost point of Greenland and it is renowned for its treacherous currents, which makes navigation there very dangerous – comparable to Cape Horn, the most southern point of South America,” explains the experienced weather man.

Safety is paramount
“You do not want to round Cape Farewell under severe gale conditions! So I gave the guys a heads up about this, and advised them to look for shelter in one of the fjords before the gale started. However, the latest run of my simulation programs shows that the track of the depression is centred farther south, which would make the wind conditions around the southern point of Greenland slightly calmer.

“So I have sent them this update and mentioned an alternative: to head for Prins Christiansund and – as soon as conditions allow – continue eastwards.

“From my point of view, safety is always the most important issue. I don’t see this Arctic circumnavigation as a race between “Peter 1” and the “Northern Passage”. I think it is a benefit that both vessels are so close; if something were to happen they would be able to assist each other, as they have in fact already done in various matters.”

Tailor-made forecasts
“How this is different from “ordinary” meteorology? Well, you do of course have to be a trained and experienced meteorologist in order to produce tailor-made weather forecasts for people who are engaged in activities in the most extreme locations of our planet. In addition you need to understand how expedition people think and what they specifically want.

“As a matter of fact, you need to be a team member yourself and do everything possible to make that expedition a success. And continuity is very important. Continuity means that you watch and study the weather patterns and model runs every day, in the morning and in the evening. It is not just a job that you quickly do between your main course and dessert.”

Challenging the North Atlantic
“Every kind of expedition has its own specific challenges. For the “Northern Passage” the most important challenge is to get the guys safely back home. This must never be forgotten,” says Marc.

“This last leg, especially, will be quite difficult because they have to cross the North Atlantic, which from a meteorological point of view is a ‘motorway for frontal depressions’. In other words, in this part of the Atlantic, and especially now during the autumn, depressions can form quickly and explosively, deepening as they move toward Europe. So at this stage of the expedition, it is even more important to study each and every run carefully.”
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Read the full interview.

Position update 15.39 CEST: 60.0544 N, 42.82813 W We’re on the move again!

Position update 23.26 CEST: 60.05485 N, 40.85522 W
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The last iceberg – we hope!

Børge says farewell to the glaciers of Greenland, and voices silent appreciation for his warm woollen underwear from Devold.
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Expedition Report, 19.23:
“Finally – we’re on the last leg to Norway! We came to the Danish weather station close to Cape Farewell late last night and were greeted with a table full of delicious Danish food. That really made us long for home. It was a very warm welcome, indeed. And even though our plan was to set sail by the break of dawn, who could say no to a Danish Sunday breakfast?

After all, we are here on an adventure and to explore, so we accepted the invitation and enjoyed yet another fantastic meal and good conversation at the weather station.

It was noon before we set sail and venture out into the open sea again. Just outside the coast we encountered a huge iceberg. It was beautiful! But we must admit that we hope that this was our final farewell to icebergs. These giants float around often surrounded by icy bits that are not so nice to run into in the middle of the night.

We’re crossing our fingers and hoping that the crossing won’t be too stormy. It’s strange to think that this is the last ocean we have to cross before we are back home.

It seems like an eternity since we left Norway.”

Best regards from
the “Northern Passage”
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At the weather station, looking down towards the harbour.

Who can decline the temptation of a full Danish breakfast? We certainly couldn’t!

Station Master Trygve makes sure the ravens, too, are served a satisfying breakfast.

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Today’s forecast:
Weather: Increasing cloudiness, followed by rain.
Wind: 030–050° at 10–15 knots, after 9.00/12.00 UTC becoming 030–050° at 13–18kt. After 15.00 UTC the wind becomes 340–360° at 18–23 knots, and after 21.00 UTC becoming 300–320° at 20–25 knots.

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Expedition Report, 02 October 22.23 CEST:
“Milestones have been queuing up the last few days. We saw Greenland yesterday – wild and raw landscapes. Huge mountains rose straight up from the coast. This is Viking country, the land where Norse settlers thrived for several hundred years before they disappeared into the unknown, some say around 1500 AD. Also due to the mountains we couldn’t send any satellite messages before now.

Another milestone is that we reached the 60th parallel, which is actually the same as our hometown of Oslo. We haven’t been this far south since end of June, and just around the corner of Greenland now, only one more ocean to cross …

We decided to take a closer look at this magnificent landscape. The whole day we sailed inshore on calm waters in the fjords and channels that cut from west to east through Greenland through Greenland close to Cape Farewell.

It was well worth this little detour – the landscape is stunning! Along the fjords that are several hundred metres deep, the alpine mountains rise almost straight up. Here and there are small Inuit settlements with their colourful houses. Earlier today we visited the small village of Aappilattoq, which lies by a small, narrow and sheltered bay between steep mountains. Children came running down to the pier and have been tumbling around on our boat, and have especially been making good use of the “trampoline” between the hulls. The village store was open and we bought some fresh supplies. An Inuit hunter also gave us a large piece of fresh seal meat, which we have just cooked together with fresh potatoes. Delicious!

Now we are close to the east coast. We will probably anchor at the Danish weather station at Cape Farewell, to wait for the powerful and stormy low-pressure zone to pass. As soon as the winds have died down and become favourable, we will continue east towards Norway, away from iceberg country!”

Best regards,
Børge

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Position update 04.40 CEST: 60.20762 N, 45.81488 W

Distance to Cape Farewell: approx. 116 km (62.5 nautical miles) – as the guillemot flies.

Position update 16.53 CEST: 60.14916 N, 44.28775 W Nicely sheltered in the fjord.

Position update 00.23 CEST: 60.07981 N, 43.29434 W
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Voice message 03.18 CEST: “All is well on board. I’m calling in case you haven’t received our Spot message. We’re between tall mountains here and will continue as soon as the wind on the coast is better. I hope to have satellite coverage so I can send you an email sometime tomorrow.”
– Børge

(Translation: No Internet cafés.)

Position update 04.32 CEST: 61.09909 N, 49.54193 W There’s 185 nautical miles to Cape Farewell – as the bird flies!

Position update 11.46 CEST: 60.6497 N, 48.34277 W

Position update 22.44 CEST: 60.42496 N, 46.70361 W
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Today’s weather forecast:
Weather: Sunny spells. Mostly dry.
Wind: 310–330° at 17–23 knots, after 9.00/12.00 UTC becoming 290–310° 10–15 knots, and then gradually after 15.00/18.00 UTC becoming weak from variable directions.
(For a more comprehensive forecast, with explanations, please see Weather4Expeditions.com.)

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.