Please select your home edition
Edition
Selden 2020 - LEADERBOARD

North West Passage - ice levels alarming for transiting yachts

by Douglas Pohl/Sail-World Cruising on 19 Aug 2013
Comparison between 2012 and 2013 SW
The North West Passage, once thought of as an impossible dream for sailors, has been more and more ice free over the last few years, encouraging more and more yachts to the adventure. But 2013 is shaping up to be very different, possibly alarming for the boats who have already started. Here, Captain of the 55ft motor vessel Grey Goose and keen NW Passage correspondent Douglas Pohl tells the story:

Over the last three weeks, Arctic ice area has declined by 662,000 km², which is 60% of normal and the slowest on record.

Slow ice melt means more ice choke-points to navigate - many specific locations have been near impossible to even try with 90% ice concentrations. In 2013 there has been a 55%increase in Arctic ice since this date last year.

Basically the summer melt season has been the slowest on record.

There are more pronounced ice 'choke-points' for vessels attempting a NW Passage than in recorded history. Seven vessels have been waiting around Lancaster Sound unable to navigate south nor west while other vessels in the Western Arctic have been delayed in reaching Cambridge Bay from ice in Amundsen Gulf.

Westerly winds have also pushed the Beaufort Sea ice up tight against Banks Island. The 2013 ice season is nothing like the 2012 ice season - a black & white difference.

The bottom line is: If and when the ice melts 'enough' to allow open navigation by small yachts, will there be enough of the summer ice melt season remaining?

...or put another way: When will Mother Nature close the door and the sea freeze over, preventing anyone exiting the Arctic in 2013. It appears that slower sailing boats are at risk of being trapped in the Arctic.

Turning the western corner at Point Barrow has always been a risky proposition at the best of times, and Queen Maud and Bellot Strait are 'choke-points' for either direction of travel this season.

Sailing boats known to be in the area this season intending a transit or a partial transit are the following:

East to West:
Acalephe, Canadian, 13.9m, aluminium cutter rigged
Arctic Tern, British, 43ft Steel cutter rigged pilot house
La Belle Epoque, German, 13m steel cutter rigged ketch
Libelule, Swiss, 47ft catamaran
Tooluka, Netherlands, 14.15m steel sloop
Traversay III, (USA?), sloop, thought to be fibreglass


West to East:
Anna, thought to be French, 10.5 steel ketch
Balthazar, Canadian, 10.5m welded steel
Dodo's Delight, British, 33ft fibreglass sloop
Empiricus, USA, 50ft yawl
Tara, French, 36m aluminium expedition schooner motor-sailer

There are other boats in the region, some have cancelled their journey, others have a different intent than a North West Passage crossing, some are motor boats. Here are a few of those also in the region:

Arctic Joule, Canadian, cabin rowing boat
Babushka, French, a hubrid catamaran with cuddy cabin, going for the North Pole
Bernard Explorer, 46ft motor sailer, historical research expedition, Banks Island
Fairmont's Passion, USA, 17.5ft Norseboat - Inuvik to Resolute
Glory of the Sea, Canadian, 50ft aluminium cutter rig, circling the eastern side
Ikimaya, Canadian, tandem kayak, Tuktoyaktuk to Igloolik
Lady Dana, Polish, 14.3m steel sloop, doing an Arctic circumnavigation
Le Manguier, French, 21.1m steel hulled tug with stay-sail rig, circumnavigating Banks Is
Noeme, French, 14.5m cold moulded epoxy, route unknown
Polar Bound, British, 48ft custom aluminium expedition motor vessel, 6th transit
Rowing Ice, French, 21ft cabin rowing boat, West to East, part transit
Tranquillo, Netherlands, 56ft aluminium sloop, centreboard

They could all experience conditions worse than they had been expecting, and, no doubt, the Canadian rescue services are gearing up for what could be a challenging year.

You can follow Douglas's blog at : http://northwestpassage2013.blogspot.com/
Switch One DesignBoat Books Australia FOOTERExcess Catamarans

Related Articles

Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race start
The weather gods promised and delivered The start gun for the 2025 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race fired at 1300hrs sharp, sending the fleet off in stunning conditions.
Posted today at 6:41 am
WASZP Games 2025 overall
Perfect conditions for the final day showdown The final day of the WASZP Games 2025 delivered everything you could want in a championship showdown—tight racing, pressure starts, tactical battles, and decisive performances. With the Gold Fleet behind on their race schedule, the priority was clear.
Posted today at 5:04 am
Rolex Fastnet: Steady conditions expected
Competitiors are expected to start in a 12-14kt Westerly and assisted by the easterly tide. Predictwind's metrologist Arnaud Monges expects the Rolex Fastnet Race to get underway in a 12-14kts WSW breeze, with a building current from an easterly direction. Using weather routing we have predicted finish times for the Ultims and AC25 yachts.
Posted today at 1:05 am
Fastnet Race 2025 | Pre-Race Interviews
Interviews with Gordon and Charlie Maguire, David Witt, Mark Bradford, and Luke Parkinson Interviews with Gordon and Charlie Maguire, David Witt, Mark Bradford, and Luke Parkinson
Posted today at 12:19 am
Fastnet Race 2025 | David Griffith and Whisper
Discover the motivation for entering Whisper in the Fastnet Race and getting boat to the UK David Griffith's JV62, Whisper, is in the UK for the Fastnet. Discover the motivation for entering Whisper in the Rolex Fastnet Race and the logistics of getting the boat to England, as well as hear from crew member Jules Hall.
Posted today at 12:09 am
Admiral's Cup 2025 | Zen's a winner!
Big day. Big results. A bullet marks a special day... The end of racing, and only the Fastnet to come. Zen collects a bullet from the final three inshore races.
Posted today at 12:04 am
Rolex Fastnet Race/Admirals' Cup: Big questions
"So far we've under performed as a boat in the Admirals' Cup. We're looking to put that right." The defending Rolex Fastnet champion, Caro (NZL) faces some big questions given their performances to date in the Admirals' Cup. However the Botin 52 has a reputation for scoring strongly in longer offshore racing - will they repeat in 2205?
Posted on 25 Jul
Centenary Rolex Fastnet Race start tomorrow
Coundown to blast off for the 444 yachts entered For the 444 yachts entered in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's centennial Rolex Fastnet Race all eyes remain on the weather going into the last hours before the start tomorrow (Saturday 26 July).
Posted on 25 Jul
Canada's entry into the iconic Rolex Fastnet Race
Team Be Water Positive returns to settle unfinished business Canada Ocean Racing - Be Water Positive will line up this weekend for the centenary edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race, one of the most iconic offshore races in the world.
Posted on 25 Jul
Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam Day 7
Sarah-Quita Offringa survives Super Final scare to earn 16th Freestyle world title Sarah-Quita Offringa survives Super Final scare to earn 16th Freestyle world title and 27th overall, while Yentel Caers powers to victory in Men's.
Posted on 25 Jul