Randall Reeves and s/v MOLI are through the ice!
by Daria Blackwell / OCC 29 Aug 2019 05:57 PDT
Randall Reeves and s/v MOLI are through the ice © Daria Blackwell
Kudos to OCC Member Randall Reeves, who is on the last stretch of his Figure 8 Voyage, approaching Cambridge Bay in the Northwest Passage.
Randall Reeves departed San Francisco to circumnavigate the Americas and Antarctica in one year. No one has even attempted to do this before. By the time Randall returns home, he will have sailed nearly 40,000 miles or the equivalent of roughly twice the circumference of the earth - in one year, in effect in one season! Randall has battled the Southern Ocean and then pushed for the Arctic to arrive at each during their respective summers. If he had fallen behind schedule, he risked being overwhelmed by storms in the south or crushing ice in the north.
Randall has demonstrated exceptional seamanship: dealing with challenging issues as they arose, pushing himself and MOLI and cajoling her into continuing on when she protested, practising caution when it was due, and diverting to help fellow adventurers experiencing difficulty. He has written about his experience with such elegance and evoked exquisite imagery to complement the stunning photography in his blog (link below). It has felt like we were there, right along with him, all the way.
Now with 'only' about 4,000 nm to go, through some of the most treacherous waters on earth, Randall is heading home. Still, vast expanses of Arctic ocean are ahead of him, with few places to escape Arctic storms. They must cross the Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska with potential for hurricane-force winds and waves that would cause MOLI to race at rocket speeds before finding shelter behind Vancouver Island.
It's been an extraordinary journey and we are most grateful for having the privilege of being aboard. We will continue our virtual journey and wish Randall and MOLI a safe and swift arrival back home.
For more information visit Figure 8 Voyage Blog.
This article has been provided by the courtesy of Ocean Cruising Club.