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Northabout debrief - "It was a happy boat"

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Sep 16, 2004 13: 19 EST
The Laptev Sea never thawed this year (where's the Global warming?!) and NorthEast passage bound ships, including Campina and Northabout will be stored (and hopefully repaired) this winter for another attempt next year.

Northabout will be popular among next years North Pole trekkers, she is stored in Khatanga, the Russian side polar trekkers BC. Here's the Northabout's team's final report for this time:

"This morning, the Tupilov 154 flight to Moscow lifted slowly from Khatanga. The tundra, reddish grass, yellow birch and willow, shimmering water of lakes and waterways spread before us. Behind us, the town and it's dockside disappeared, we had been there since last Friday morning - 4 days during which we had managed to:

(a) organise secure winter storage for the boat
(b) get on a flight out to Moscow
(c) meet some great people and have a good time.

Khatanga

Khatanga is the main northern town for the province of Krasnoyorsky, having a hinterland the size of France & Germany combined. It's population is 3,000, and unlike the other northern towns we saw, it has a vibrant community of Russian and Dolgan indigineous people. Coalmining nearby, 200 kilometers, is the main industry now that the military have mostly gone.

Khatanga is the "basecamp" to North Polar expeditions. It also is "home" to a 26,000 year old fossilized, now-extinct Mammoth. We played and sang in the restaurant and in the school, met interesting and hospitable people and their families, visited their homes, drove and walked out in the tundra.
In parallel, the weekly flight was going out on Tuesday (although the last week's one did not run!). So, there was an urgency in getting the boat "lay-up" done. We couldn't book our flights out, until our boat was secure.

Frozen in the river

And secure she is! With mast unstepped, by Sunday night, she was lifted into a large steel river barge, the barge hatch-covers fixed (and welded). There, the barge (with Northabout within) will stay in the frozen river until the river ice breaks up next June. As we head for Moscow and home, we look forward to our return.

Reflection 1: We will complete the job next year!

With some retrospective thoughts
Rory Casey writes - It was a great trip - even though the ultimate objective still eludes us. It was my first time in the Arctic and I found it a fascinating place. Many thanks to our family and friends, and well wishers, but a huge thank you to my fellow crew members. We worked very well together, and will complete the job next year!

Reflection 2: "is fearr filleadh as lar and atha"

Kevin Cronin writes - "is fearr filleadh as lar and atha, na ba sa tuile" (it is better to return from the middle of the ford, that to drown in the flood!) We pulled back from an impenetratable wall of ice, and apart from some bruises to boat and crew, we'll be in good shape to take it on again, next year.

2005: Improved comms

We'll be working over the Winter on improving our communications and flow of information for next year to best inform the critical decisions that have to be made about going forward, or retreating as we approach Cape Chelyuskin again. I am optimistic about our prospects. It was a happy boat, despite the strains. A personal salute to the new crew members - Colm, Gary and Rory - who apart from exercising their own particular skills, were the easiest of company - fitted right in!

Reflection 3: The North Pole ER

Dr. Michael Brogan's thoughts on a possible medical emergency - As the ship's doctor, one of my main concerns sailing in remote regions is serious injury or illness to any crewmember, with which I could not deal, and may require hospitalization.

The high Arctic is one of the remote regions on the planet. There is the occasional passing ship, making a delivery to one of the few habitations of Mys Schmidt, Tiksi or Pevek, or upriver to Khatanga. Going further north, (77 degrees latitude) towards Cape Chelyuskin, you are very much on your own. However, radio communication is not a problem.

There is daily contact with North Sea Rout Administration in Murmansk, who control the 3-4 icebreakers that work the areas where they are needed. VHF works up to 40 miles. Shortwave radio works to greater distances (to Mayo) Assuming an icebreaker is available, it would possibly take 2 days to reach us and another 2 days to get to a habitation with a hospital and possibly an airport. It could possibly link up with a helicopter from the mainland shortening the time.

We would probably not fully know what is going to happen, until it happens

A more serious medical emergency would be dealt with in Makutia or Krasnoyarsk - both 4 hours flights. We found Russian sailors very friendly, helpful and especially resourceful. I would be confident that any emergency would be dealt with competently, but in a "Russian" way - i.e. we would probably not fully know what is going to happen, until it happens).

A healthy crew is now returning to Ireland

For Northabout 2005, I will be doing an extensive medical on all of the crew, myself included. I will review medicines and medical equipment on board, to allow greater flexibility in dealing with any possible medical situation. I am happy to report that a healthy crew is now returning to Ireland.

We need to complete our report with a very special thanks to Mr Nikolay Monko (Northern Sea Route Administration), Mr. Nicolay Batitch (Murmansk Shipping Company), Alexey Shadanov (Lodestar Travel) and Mr Slava Samoilovich (State Ice Pilot)."

The Voyages:

In 1990 we had a memorable voyage in the traditionally built, gaff rigged,Galway Hooker St Patrick. We sailed north to Spitzbergen and returned to Ireland via Murmansk, Norway and the Shetland Islands.

In 1993 we again sailed north, this time to Northwest Greenland, through the frozen seas of Baffin Bay, until stopped by the ice in Melville Bay, West Greenland.

In 1997, our South Aris expedition re-enacted Irishman Earnest Shackleton's amazing survival in Antarctic waters. Following the loss of his ship the endurance in 1916, Shackleton with five of his crew sailed 800 miles to South Georgia in a 23-foot open boat named James Caird. Our replica vessel, Tom Crean, was named in honor of the "unsung hero" of the Endurance expedition. The Russian vessel Kapitan Molchonov provided support in delivering our boat to Antarctica.

In 2001 we sailed our specially designed, ice-strengthened yacht, Northabout through the Northwest Passage from Ireland to the Pacific by way of Greenland, Arctic Canada and Alaska..

The Expedition Team

Paddy Barry
Expedition leader Paddy made a famous first crossing of the Atlantic in his Galway Hooker St Patrick. His voyages to Spitzbergen at the edge of the Polar Ice Pack and to Greenland resulted in the award to him of coveted Blue Water Medal of the Cruising Club of America.

Jarlath Cunnane
The Skipper. A construction manager from County Mayo, Jarlath has sailed extensively throughout the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea with a lifetime's sailing experience off the West Coast of Ireland. He built and sailed Tom Crean, the replica of Shackletons' James Caird lifeboat used in the South Arís expedition.

Kevin Cronin
Finance. Kevin has extensive sailing experience and has sailed to the Arctic and Antarctica. He sailed on the Galway Hooker St Patrick on its historic voyages to America (1986) and Greenland (1993).

Michael Brogan
Expedition Doctor. In 1990 he sailed to Iceland and Spitzbergen on Paddy Barry's Hooker St Patrick.

Garry Finegan
Freelance cameraman, works on drama, documentaries, commercials. Clients includes RTE, BBC, ITV, Japanese TV, Croatia TV, Norwegian TV and Slovenia TV. Worked in Cambodia, India, China, USA, and throughout Europe.

Colm Brogan
Fluent Russian speaker. He spent ten years working and living in Russia(CIS) and is currently living in his native home, Kinvara, Galway.

Rory Casey
IT & electronics. Rory sailed on Northabout through the Inside Passage, British Columbia, Canada last summer. A qualified Mountain guide and Managing Director of Fibrepulse, a fibre optic company.

Vladislav "Slava" Samoilovich
Ice pilot. Was born in Moscow and grew up in Siberia. At 15, he joined the Russian Navy and studied navigation. He became a captain with the Administration of the Northern Sea Route and has 23 years experience of navigating the Russian Arctic.

Brendan Minish
Radio operator and webmaster. Keeps the team informed of weather and ice information, via HF radio, and is the team's link to the outside world.

Image of one of the teams polar passages, courtesy expedition website.

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