Henk De Velde's North East passage - it's a go!
Agu 23, 2004 09: 40 EST
July 16 the Siberian ice finally broke around Campina, but Henk still couldn't go anywhere. Like a captive free of his chains only to find himself stuck on an island, Henk was fretting over the ice maps, and began to worry that he'd have another year in the Siberian harbor of Tiksi.
It has been a bitter winter, the ice stayed longer than previous years out at Laptev sea, out to the Khatanga river. "I'll know better this week how much ice to expect," he wrote last week.
Well Friday, August 20, icebreaker Captain Boris Volnij finally took off in the direction of the bottleneck: Tsjeljuskin. The Murmansk Shipping company, which is the recommending body of the Northern Ice sea, at last gave them a go.
But Henk is not of the hook yet. One some previous years, the passage around cape Tsjeljuskin - the northernmost point of the journey - was impossible.
Another winter would then be his only option, as Henk is determined to see the Campina adventure through and would never leave his ship without her Captain.
Henk bid farewell over the weekend to all the friends he made in Tiksi this past winter. Next he will need around 5 days of very tricky sail to cover 500 miles among countless ice bergs and ice floes.
The possible anchor point at Khatanga is pending improvement of the ice. The coming time will tell, but if Henk makes it past Tsjeljuskin he could succeed to finally set sail and arrive in November in the port of Dutch IJmuiden and it's beautiful white sand beaches of home.
Dutchman Henk de Velde has been roaming the world's oceans for over two years now aboard The Campina. His goal: “The Impossible Journey” - a sail around the world via the "impossible" Northern Seaway along the North East Passage above and along Siberia, Alaska, then South to Cape Horn and Antarctica before returning home to the Netherlands.
Henk's journey began in June 2001 and if it comes to the end he envisions, Henk will have traveled 30,000 miles rounding both poles on the epic circumnavigation.
Since December, the Campina was encased in the ice of the Arctic Sea near Tiksi, Russia. Being blasted by the full effects of the Siberian winter, the ship and her skipper faced gale force winds and sub-zero temperatures reaching –50º C. That's seven months frozen in a block of ice. Not until August 20 could Campina sail again.
Henk de Vekde has previously sailed around the world four times, three times non-stop and solo. The first trip lasted between 1978 and 1985… so Henk is known to take his time when out exploring.
The reason for traveling like this is to experience new things and enjoy life to the fullest.
Image of the Campina and farewell to the people of Tiksi, courtesy of Henk de Velde.
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