Sail-World.com : North West Passage blocked with ice

News Home

Cruising

Photo Gallery

Video Gallery

Sail-World.com : North West Passage blocked with ice - yachts caught

North West Passage blocked with ice - yachts caught

'North West Passage - showing ice blockages' © Environment Canada

The Northwest Passage after decades of so-called global warming has a dramatic 60% more Arctic ice this year than at the same time last year. The future dreams of dozens of adventurous sailors are now threatened. A scattering of yachts attempting the legendary Passage are caught by the ice, which has now become blocked at both ends and the transit season may be ending early. Douglas Pohl tells the story:

The Passage has become blocked with 5/10 concentrated drifting sea ice at both the eastern and at the western ends of Canada’s Arctic Archipelago. At least 22 yachts and other vessels are in the Arctic at the moment. Some who were less advanced have retreated and others have abandoned their vessels along the way. Still others are caught in the ice in an unfolding, unresolved drama.

The real question is if and when the Canadian Coast Guard(CCG) decides to take early action to help the yachts exit the Arctic before freeze-up... or will they wait until it becomes an emergency rescue operation?

The first blockage area is at Prince Regent Inlet in position 73.7880535N, -89.2529297W which became blocked on 27th August with 5/10 ice concentration with 7/10 ice pushing.

This effectively closes the 2013 Northwest Passage without Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker escorts for transit. The alternative is a very technical and risky southern navigation through Fury & Hecla Strait mostly blocked with sea ice.

Currently there is a commercial cruise ship on a west to east passage which will reach Prince Regent Inlet in another day. It is unknown if there is a CCG icebreaker in the area to provide assistance since government ships do not provide Automatic Identification Service (AIS) to public AIS websites.

Since one of the Canadian Coast Guard’s prime missions is to provide icebreaking for commercial shipping it will be interesting to see if Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Government views this as an opportunity for good public relations to help recreational yachts transiting the Northwest Passage.

Another choke-point stopping marine traffic is on the western Canadian Arctic at Cape Bathurst in position 70.6672443N, -128.2763672W which became blocked on 26th August with 2/10 ice concentration and quickly filled with 5/10 ice on 27th August and today has 8/10 ice pushing towards Cape Bathurst. Latest word is the ice is retreating at an agonizing 1 nautical mile per day northward.

Empiricus - one of the ice-blocked yachts, still smiling - © Environment Canada

There are a number of yachts known to be in the Cambridge Bay area heading west: ACALEPHE (CA), ISATIS (NEW CALEDONIA), LA BELLE EPOQUE (DE), LIBELLULE (CHE), NOEME (FRA), and TRAVERSAY III (CA). PAS PERDU LE NORD (DE) was ahead by 10 days and has already gone on to Arctic Alaska waters. While BALTHAZAR (CA) departed from Inuvik a month ago and is now on the hard in Nome Alaska.

The following yachts are enroute from the west to the east: ANNA (?), rowboat ARCTIC JOULE (CA), DODO'S DELIGHT (GBR), EMPIRICUS (USA). rowboat FAIRMONT's PASSION (USA), tandem-kayak IKIMAYIA (CA), in Russian sea ice is LADY DANA (POL), POLAR BOUND (GBR), rowboat ROWING ICE (FRA), in Russian sea ice is TARA (FRA), and a group of jetskis known as DANGEROUS WATERS (USA) reported east of Gjoa Haven.

Several updates on known others:
LE MANGUIER (FRA) is wintering over in the ice at Paulatuk. Motor Yacht Lady M II (Marshal Islands) was escorted by CCGS icebreaker HENRY LARSEN through Bellot Strait eastbound on 20130824. ARCTIC TERN (GBR) and TOOLUKA (NED) retreated to the east towards Greenland/Newfoundland away from Bellot Strait on 20130822 with the opinion that the Arctic ice was finished melting and freeze-up would prevent them from reaching the Northwest Passage finish line at the Arctic Circle in the Bering Strait.

Watch this space for ongoing news about the situation.

Douglas Pohl is a USCG licensed ocean master of motor and steam vessels, fifth issue, retired. Doug and Michelle now live their dreams cruising aboard their 55' steel motor yacht GREY GOOSE and provide yacht routing, satcom and wifi communications consulting. He can be contacted by e-mail at: douglas_pohl (at) yahoo (dot) com
........................

Graphic information in this article was derived from the following sites, with thanks. (Notations on the graphics are by the author.)
Environment Canada
Canadian Ice Service

by Douglas Pohl/Sail-World Cruising

Tweet

Click on the FB Like link to post this story to your FB wall

http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=113788

5:28 PM Thu 29 Aug 2013GMT

Click here for printer friendly version
Click here to send us feedback or comments about this story.

News - USA and the World

Spirits high as Team Alvimedica completes Transatlantic crossing by Stefano Blin,

Skipper Charlie Enright believes valuable lessons have been learned after Team Alvimedica successfully completed a second Transatlantic crossing as part of their preparations for the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race. The US/Turkey entry arrived in the southern England port of Southampton on Saturday (July 19), nine days after leaving Rhode Island.... [more]

Gladwell's Line: A change of direction needed in the America's Cup *Feature by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz,

Last weekend's withdrawal of the Challenger of Record from the 35th America's Cup was a delicate piece of timing. If matters play out as expected then the Italian Challenger Luna Rossa is expected to be installed as the new Challenger of Record in early August.... [more]

29er North American Championship - Day 1 in Kingston by Cork,

Today was the first day of for the 29er North American Open Championship, with 138 competitors from 10 countries competing for the titles of North American, United States and Canadian Champions.... [more]

Red Bull 49erFX: First look at the Olympic sailing venue at Rio by Molly Meech and Alex Maloney,

Red Bull 49erFX team of Molly Meech and Alex Maloney report on their second tour in Europe reflecting on the Europeans and looking at the new Olympic venue in Rio. We have mixed emotions about our time in Helsinki. A week on from the 2014 Europeans the dust has settled, and we are able to see our strengths and weaknesses more clearly - our performance over the competition had its highs and lows... [more]

Fuerteventura Kiteboarding Grand Slam - Classic conditions on day 3 by PKRA,

Day three of the 2014 Fuerteventura Kiteboarding Grand Slam brought on conditions that were nothing short of classic for the this much-loved tour stop. Starting off the day early, the first round competitors utilized 10-11m kites, later downsizing as the winds built throughout the day.... [more]

NYYC Race Week Part II images by Rolex/Daniel Forster by Kirsten Ferguson,

Photographer Rolex/Daniel Forster was on water at NYYC Race Week Part II to captures these images.... [more]

Drowning or electric shock? What you need to know to help save a life by D. Scott Croft,

Cruising sailors spend a lot of time in marina's, often a little variable in quality. Here is some information most of us have probably never thought about. While standing at the end of the boat dock, you see a person struggling in the water. Do you recognize that the person is drowning, or is something else going on? And what should you do?... [more]

BIC Techno 293 Worlds 2014 - Day 1 by Patrik Pollak,

Difficult wind conditions allowed race committee to use almost all flags they have. Postponements, abandonments, recalls, black flags and more …... [more]

Six Metre European Championship - Blazing sunshine on opening day by Fiona Brown,

The opening day of the Six Metre European Championship 2014 hosted by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, Falmouth, opened with blazing sunshine, but not a breath of wind. The fleet went afloat on time for the planned 10.30 start, but it wasn't until almost 4 o'clock that the wind finally established itself sufficiently to get the first of two short but very enjoyable races underway.... [more]

National Sailing Hall of Fame to present Lifetime Achievement Award by Jan Harley,

The Board of Directors of the National Sailing Hall of Fame (NSHOF) today announced that it will annually present a new Lifetime Achievement Award starting in 2014. Since 2011 the NSHOF has recognized American sailors, 45 years of age and older, for their impact on the growth and development of the sport in a variety of categories.... [more]

International Moth Worlds: Greenhalgh and Rashley tied at the top by Mark Jardine, YachtsandYachting.com,

International Moth World Championships – It's more like Costa del Hayling at the moment - sweltering heat and little wind make it great for sunbathers and ice cream vans, but less so for the Moth fleet. The race committee made the most of the breeze that did come in and managed to get two races in for Yellow fleet and one for Blue fleet, bringing the Qualifying Series to a close after five races.... [more]

PWA Pozo World Cup - Fantastic finale determines winners by Chris Yates,

The final day of the PWA Gran Canaria Wind and Waves Festival lived up to expectations as Pozo provided a full day of fantastic competition - spanning nine action packed hours - to conclude the event. By the end of the day a result had been gained in both the men’s and women’s division as Victor Fernandez produced a magnificent display to be crowned the champion of Pozo for the fifth time.... [more]

Six Metre Class British Open Championship - Llanoria and Valhalla win by Fiona Brown,

After two exciting days of racing, Peter Hofman's Classic Llanoria and Paul Smith's Modern Valhalla were victorious at the International Six Metre Class British Open Championship in Falmouth. Hosted by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, the British Open acted as the warm up event for the Six Metre European Championship 2014, which gets underway today.... [more]

Anna Tunnicliffe set to compete at the CrossFit Games by Anna Tunnicliffe, Pittsburgh, PA

Twice Rolex Sailor of the Year and Olympic Gold medalist, Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) alternates between sailing aboard Alinghi in the Extreme Sailing Series, and chasing a serious ranking in the world of CrossFit. Starting in a few days time, are the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games, in Carson CA. Then it will be back on the Extreme 40's in Wales.... [more]

America's Cup: Oracle Team USA holds foiling camp at Wangi SC by Oracle Team USA,

Oracle Team USA present two videos from their foiling training camp at Wangi SC in Australia. First Andrew Campbell (USA) gives his view of the camp, and in the second various team members contribute their thoughts on skipper Jimmy Spithill baring all on a foiling moth.... [more]

Volvo Ocean Race: Abu Dhabi OR completes double Atlantic crossing by Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing,

After a long voyage in cramped conditions, with no washing facilities and only frozen dried meals to eat, the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (ADOR) team was eager for food, cold drinks and warm showers when they safely reached Gosport on the English south coast.... [more]

Volvo Ocean Race: Team SCA has a 'pull through day' off the Canaries by Team SCA,

Team Alvimedica and Team Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing have completed their second Trans-Atlantic crossings, and in the Canary Islands, Team SCA, Team Brunel, and Team Campos are engaged in the Around Canary Island Race - a 650nm trip around the Canary Islands. Here's Team SCA's latest blog from the Around Canary Island Race:... [more]

No tiller sailing - how to steer using just the sails + Video by Miranda Powrie, Auckland

Miranda from Weta has put together a helpful video on how to steer a boat using just the sails, no tiller sailing. It's a good training exercise, not only for learning how to sail faster but also just in case something happens to your rudder! This is applicable to every sailor, in any class, and a great training exercise.... [more]

International Moth Worlds: Three bullets in a row for Greenhalgh by Mark Jardine,

Blue fleet made up for their lost race from Saturday and then sailed two more races in the best of the breeze. Yellow fleet were too far East to get the full effect of this and only managed a single race in what was a long day on the water for them.... [more]

U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship - Sophia Reineke wins by Jake Fish,

2014 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship - Fort Lauderdale's Sophia Reineke enjoyed a breakthrough performance this weekend at the 2014 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship, hosted by the Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego.... [more]

BIC Techno 293 Worlds 2014 - Day 0 Opening by Patrik Pollak,

Racing at the BIC Techno 293 One Design World Championship 2014 did not start yet, but many dreams and visions has been fulfilled already.... [more]

Fuerteventura World Cup - Slalom action highlights day 2 by PKRA,

Day two of the Fuerteventura Kiteboarding Grand Slam featured the exciting discipline of slalom, with a total of four rounds run for both the men’s and the women’s fleets. Bibiana Magaji swept all four races of the lady’s fleet and Julien Kerneur led the men’s.... [more]

2014 Governor's Cup - Sam Gilmour of RFBYC victorious again by Nancy Mellon, Corona del Mar, CA

2014 Governor's Cup - On the final day of racing, only the top four teams competed, since the other eight teams matches were completed on Friday. The racers from those teams were able to watch the finals in comfort from spectator boats. RFBYC and SDYC each won two races in hotly contested tacking duels, despite the light wind and changing conditions.... [more]

Farr 40 West Coast Champ - Skipper Alberto Rossi leads Enfant Terrible by Tink Chambers, Santa Barbara

Skipper Alberto Rossi and his team aboard Enfant Terrible sure know how to close out a tight regatta. Holding a narrow one-point lead going into the final day of the Farr 40 West Coast Championship, the Italians went out and won the opening race then survived a match race duel with chief challenger Flash Gordon 6 during the second race to secure the overall victory.... [more]

Flying Dutchman World Championships - Magyars are the Masters by Alan Henderson, United Kingdom

One race was sailed on the final day of the Flying Dutchman Worlds at Largs to seal the Championship. Competitors enjoyed a lay day on Thursday, with many taking a trip on the Paddle Steamer Waverly around the island of Arran. Friday was scheduled to be a racing day, but 35 knots of winds prevented any sailing.... [more]

Final day shakes up standings at Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek by Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Race Week 2014,

After the unprecedented abandonment of racing for all classes yesterday, the pressure was on to get a final race (or more) completed, introduce the drop in some classes, and give everyone a fighting final day chance. The forecast wasn't looking great and after approximately an hour searching for some breeze, Principal Race Officer Simon James set a startline.... [more]

2014 -15 Volvo Ocean Race: Team Alvimedica pushing towards Southampton by Team Alvimedica,

2014 -15 Volvo Ocean Race - Anyone that has done any amount of sailing around the English Channel must know that the four thousand horses now pushing us toward Southampton are anything but a shirking of duty. We had a beautiful sail past the Scilly Islands and along the Lizard, a welcoming coastline following any passage of that length.... [more]

NYYC Race Week - Saving the best for last by Barby MacGowan,

Smooth sailing sealed the deal today for IRC, PHRF and One-Design winners in Part II of the ninth biennial New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex. (Part I, for Classics, was sailed over the weekend of July 12-13.) After Wednesday’s (July 16) opening day races were cancelled due to the threat of thunderstorms... [more]

VX One North American Championship - Chris Alexander commands by Julie and Christopher Howell,

Chris Alexander’s Isabelita dominated the standings at the VX One North American Championship to claim the title with 19 points. No races occurred on Saturday, after nine races were completed Thursday and Friday.... [more]

2014 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek - Waiting game on Day 3 by Duncan Worthington, Phuket

2014 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek - The signs were ominous as the boats left the anchorage on day three of the 2014 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek. Grey skies, no rustling in the trees and confusing reports from the weather pros.... [more]

International Moth Worlds: Thunderstorms delay racing on Day 1 by Mark Jardine,

The thunderstorms which have been plaguing the UK in recent days led to a two hour postponement ashore. The helms were released at midday with the first race started in 13 knots of wind at 13.15. Course setting was made very tricky with the wind swinging through around 90 degrees and ranging from 3 to 14 knots.... [more]

Fuerteventura World Cup - Impressive tricks on day 1 by PKRA,

The first day of the 2014 Fuerteventura World Cup experienced early strong winds in the typical side-offshore direction. At noon, the men’s freestyle trials and the first heats of the competition began, where riders channeled their motivation to perform their most impressive tricks in the classic Fuerteventura conditions.... [more]

2014 Governor's Cup - Two former winners in the finals by Nancy Mellon, Corona del Mar, CA

2014 Governor's Cup - With the great weather conditions, the Race Committee completed all the matches except the finals, which will happen on Saturday starting about noon. Racing in the finals will be the team from Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, Australia led by 2013 winner Sam Gilmour, with Adam Negri and Storm Brown.... [more]