North-West/North-East Passages wrap up and Polarbound intro
Oct 7, 2004 12: 11 EST
"Then the wind changed and helped us sailing to Lancaster Sound, while the ice charts were showing that the ice was closing up again behind us..."
Those were the triumphant words from Vagabond, the only boat that made it through the Nortwest passage last year, and a world first NE/NW passage without wintering and without ice-breaker assistance.
This year, there are still no news on the Northwest passage of Dagmar Aaen, currently on her way to Greenland.
In a former dispatch, they reported that "Polarbound", went together with them for a short while but is still dependent on ice-breaker assistance. October 2 she was still in the Lancaster sound.
Both Polarbound and Dagmar Aen sailed across from East to West a few years ago. Last year though, on their Nortwest attempt, both were trapped for the whole winter in Franklin Strait.
In Russia, the Chelyuskin Cape remained surrounded with ice over the summer and the sail boat Campina spent the winter in Tiksi.
Only the yacht Vagabond reached the Labrador Sea and the Atlantic Ocean that year. With that, Vagabond completed a Northwest passage, following her success through the North-East Passage, the 2 arctic routes that link the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Sailing these 2 famous passages one after the other, each one without wintering and without any ice-breaker assistance, was a first in the sailing history.
This year, Campina (and Northabout) were again stranded in Arctic Russia, and will do another attempt for a Northeast passage next year.
Remaining out there are the Northwest passage attempts by Dagmar Aaen and Polarbound. Polarbound is single-handed by David Scott Cowper. His four earlier circumnavigations - two under sail and two under power (in a 42-foot lifeboat powered by twin Gardners) have also been single-handed.
On 9th of September, after 8 days waiting for ice to open up, a strong gale (50 knots) moved the floes away from the coast for few hours, allowing Vagabond to reach Bellot Strait, the Northeast point of America:
"A polar bear and her cub were surprised to see us there, while quickly dodging in and out the ice and pushed by a strong and dangerous current. We finally reached Fort Ross on 10th of September, 2003, exactly one year after the sailboats Nuage and Apostol Andrey. Then the wind changed and helped us sailing to Lancaster Sound, while the ice charts were showing that the ice was closing up again behind us..." Next, the crew sailed to Greenland, and then across the Atlantic Ocean to Brittany.
Image of Polarbound, Photo © Alex McMullen.
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