Adventurous Family Will Sail the Northwest Passage in 2018

One adventurous family has quite a journey scheduled for 2018. On June 1, Graeme and Janna Esarey, along with their daughters Talia and Savai, will set out from Seattle on a sailing expedition that will take them through the Canadian Arctic as they travel the Northwest Passage.

Graeme and Janna are experienced sailors who spent their honeymoon crossing the Pacific Ocean. They say that the plan has always been to sail with their children when it was age appropriate, and now they are ready to begin those adventures. The plan is to navigate through the Northwest Passage and continue on to Europe, making a journey that few have been fortunate enough to undertake until this century.

The fabled Northwest Passage was long sought by sailors and explorers looking to travel faster from the Atlantic and the Pacific. But due to thick ice and inhospitable conditions, it was closed for centuries. Modern ice breakers made it a more viable option, but the cost of operating those ships is prohibitively expensive. Now, climate change has made sailing the route a real option as it is typically completely navigable by August of each year.

Graeme says the idea for making this sailing expedition came about after speaking to polar explorer Eric Larsen at Outdoor Retailer. The father of two has served as the CEO of gear manufacturer Industrial Revolution since 2011, and Larsen has been a brand ambassador for the company. After speaking to Eric, Graeme headed home with the germ of an idea for taking his family on a major adventure, which they'll undertake on a ship called the Dogbark – a 60-foot racing vessel with plenty of room to spread out, including separate cabins for each of the girls.

Currently the Esarey family is in planning and preparation mode prior to the start of the voyage in June. You can read all about their plans, and why they are undertaking this adventure, on their website saildogbark.com. The site is being updated regularly with blog posts about their progress and should be a great way to follow along with their journey once they embark in a few months.

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Stage 4 of Volvo Ocean Race Underway

We've been following the 2017-18 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race closely since it got underway this past October and watched with particular interest as the race took to the Southern Ocean for the third leg, which ran for 6500 nautical miles (7480 miles/12,038 km) between Cape Town and Melbourne. Now, the fourth leg of the race is underway, and it promises to be a major challenge as well.

The third leg of the race was won by Team Mapfre, who were the first to arrive in Melbourne back on December 24. Second place went to Dongfeng Race Team, who has been edged out in the last two legs, narrowly finishing behind the leaders. These two are now expected to battle for the lead once again as the race turns north away from Australia.

The fourth leg of this year's VOR runs from Melbourne to Hong Kong, marking the first time that the race has visited that city. This stage covers 5600 nautical miles (6444 miles/10,371 km) and while it won't be quite as difficult as the long chase across the Southern Ocean, it will still test the stamina and skill of the teams aboard these round-the-world racing vessels. This time out, they'll have to navigate around a number of islands that sit in their path and they'll have to look for a route that safely passes through potential storms and other fast changing weather conditions.

Just a day into the restart of the race and the teams are already taking very different tactics as they make their way north. Some of the ships are staying closer to the Australian coastline, while others are heading further out to see. Which tactic proves the smartest has yet to be seen as it is early into the stage and the crews aren't expected into Hong Kong until sometime around the middle of the month.

All told, there will be 11 total stages in this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, which is scheduled to end at The Hague next June. Other stages will take the ships to Auckland, New Zealand; Itajaí, Brazil, and Newport, Connecticut in the U.S. There is more racing to come in the Southern Ocean as well, with the seventh stage requiring the teams to race round Cape Horn in what promises to be an epic showdown.

Until then, the teams will bounce around the Indian and Pacific Oceans for a bit, providing plenty of drama in the weeks ahead. You can follow all the action at volvooceanrace.com.

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Southern Ocean Leaves Volvo Ocean Race Team in Tatters

A few days back I posted a story about the start of the third leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. At the time, I mentioned that the seven crews involved in the round-the-world competition were now heading into the difficult and unpredictable Southern Ocean. Lest anyone think that those warnings were nothing but over blown hyperbole, the ships quickly ran into foul weather which was enough to break the mast and nearly capsize one of the vessels.

After setting out from Cape Town under a strong breeze, the teams found themselves with calm weather for the start of their adventure across the Southern Ocean. But, as expected, those conditions didn't last long and within a day or two a high pressure storm system began to build. That system bore down on the ships as they make their way deeper south en route to their eventual destination in Melbourne, Australia.

This massive low-pressure system is massive in scale, stretching for 1500 nautical miles (1726 miles/2778 km) from the tip of Africa nearly all the way to Antarctica itself. It brings with it intense winds of about 35 knots (40 mph/64 km/h) with gusts exceeding 50 knots (57 mph/92 km/h) at times. As you can imagine, that has made for some difficult conditions with heavy seas creating massive waves.

One of the teams in particular has felt the sting of the Southern Ocean. Team AkzoNobel of the Netherlands was forced to slow down and make repairs after high winds caused the track that attaches the mainsail to the back of the mast to break. At the moment they are still assessing their options while continuing to race using the forward sails only. As you can probably imagine, this means they are limping along and losing ground to the top teams. It also forced them to turn away from their intended course along the Antarctic Ice Exclusion Zone, a section of the course that is off limits do to ice. Teams are skirting the edge of the AIEZ as it makes for the shortest route, even if they are flirting with danger.


The damage occurred when the ship was gybing along in high winds and big seas. The crew made the switch from starboard to port on the mainsail when the track broke in two places, nearly causing the ship to capsize. The team was able to lower the sail quickly to avoid further damage, and no crew members were injured, but AkzoNobel is certainly losing time as they work out a solution. To help with that process they are heading north for calmer seas and warmer temperatures, which can help with repairs, but they have already given up 300 miles (482 km) to the front runners.

Another team has their own scare while in the Southern Ocean. Team Turn the Tide on Plastic, racing under the United Nations flag, had their man overboard alarm go off in the middle of the night. A frantic search began, but fortunately all members of the crew were accounted for and the ship was able to continue on course.

The teams are just getting started with the Southern Ocean. They will continue racing towards Melbourne with an estimated arrival around December 27. A lot can happen between now and then, and this massive storm isn't finished yet. You can follow all of the action on the Volvo Ocean Race website.

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Volvo Ocean Race Resumes as Teams Head to Southern Ocean

Stage 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race got underway yesterday from Cape Town, South Africa as the teams head into the Southern Ocean for the first time. This next leg of the race promises to be a challenging one, as strong winds appeared just prior to the restart.

The seven ships taking part in this year's edition of the round-the-world sailing event departed Cape Town and are now under sail for Melbourne, Australia. This stage of the race will cover approximately 6500 nautical miles (7480 miles/12,038 km) and will include a trip round the infamous Cape of Good Hope before the crews take a hard left turn and plunge south to the Souther Ocean. The route will take them through the Westerly Storm Track, a section of water that is notorious for its bad weather, before heading north once again to cross the Great Australian Bight and the Bass Strait on their way into Melbourne. They are expected to arrive there sometime around December 27.

On Saturday, just prior to the teams setting out on Stage 3, the "Cape Doctor" arrived in South Africa. This strong southeasterly wind brought sustained 40 knot (46 mph/74 km/h) winds with gusts up to 60 knots (69 mph/111 km/h). By Sunday, those winds had died down some but were still hitting 25-35 knots. That made for a blistering start with the ships finding plenty of breeze to help push them along. A high pressure front arrived today however to provide a bit of calm before facing the challenges that await.

The wild Southern Ocean will now test the crews. Known for its big waves, terrible storms, and high winds, this body of water surrounds Antarctica but has no other land masses to impede the progress of its winds and weather. That leads to some absolutely massive storms at times and cold, biting Antarctic winds are the norm. This will certainly not be a pleasure cruise for the members of each of the teams as they battle to be the fastest team to arrive in Melbourne.

You can follow all of the action and get regular updates on the Volvo Ocean Race website. The team there does a great job of not only providing plenty of news and insights into the race, but offering video and photos too.

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Team Mapfre Leads Volvo Ocean Race at End of Stage 2

The second stage of the Volvo Ocean Race came to an end this past weekend with the teams arriving in Cape Town, South Africa. It was a wild and challenging run from Lisbon to Cape Town, covering some 7000 natural miles en route. In the end, it was Team Mapfre that arrived first, and now holds a narrow lead over its rivals prior to the start of the third stage on December 10.

Haling from Spain, Team Mapfre now has an elapsed time of 19 days, 1 hour, 10 minutes, and 33 seconds. That's enough to hold off second place team Dongfeng, which is currently less than three hours off the pace. American crew Vestas 11th Hour now holds down the third spot, an additional hour and a half back.

Those may seem like large time gaps, but for a race that is measured in days and weeks, they aren't very big at all. Particularly considering that there are still 9 more legs to be run before the race finishes in The Hague next June. Between now and then, there is a lot of racing to be done, including a number of routes that cross through the treacherous Southern Ocean, which will surely test the skill and resolve of the teams involved.

At the moment, all of the ships are currently docked Cape Town, where a number of short, in-port races are taking place. Those competitions, along with a number of other festivities, will continue to take place for the next week and a half, before the third leg gets underway. That route will take the ships round the Cape and will cover 6500 nautical miles, stretching from South Africa to Melbourne, Australia. In the meantime, the crews continue to train and prepare, while the captains talk strategy.

To get a sense of what a stage of the Volvo Ocean Race is like, check out the video below. If you didn't think sailing could be exciting, this will probably change your mind.

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American Team Takes Lead in Volvo Ocean Race

The first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race ended this past weekend in Lisbon, Portugal, with the American team of Vestas 11th Hour Racing arriving first at the finish line. The crew completed the 1650 nautical mile course in 6 days, 2 hours, and 8 minutes, which was enough to put them ahead of second place team MAPFRE of Spain by more than two and a half hours, and earned them 8 points towards the eventual win when the race wraps up in The Hague next June.

This first leg of the event ran from Alicante, Spain – where the VOR began back on October 22 – to Lisbon, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar en route. The route took them round the island of Porto Santo and a virtual waypoint located at sea that race directors added to the course midway through the leg.

Over the past few days, all seven teams competing in the Volvo Ocean Race have enjoyed some time in port in Lisbon as they prepare for the next leg of the event. This stage will be far more grueling then the one, running for more than 7000 nautical miles from Lisbon to Cape Town, South Africa.

Vestas 11th Hour Racing is captained by American skippers Charlie Enright and Mark Towill, who bring years of sailing experience to the team. They also have a tough and dedicated crew made up of sailors from the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, and Australia. The team did well in the 2014-2015 Volvo Ocean Race, and has returned this year to improve on their ranking, while also promoting a message of sustainability and protecting the environment as well.

While the victory in the first stage of the race is a good one, this grueling event is only now really getting underway. The first leg was a good shakedown cruise and a solid way to test the boats and crew. But, there are some major stages yet to come, including quite a bit of sailing in the difficult and treacherous Southern Ocean. This should be quite an event to follow in the weeks ahead.

Check out all of the action at volovooceanrace.com.

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Video: The ABC's of Sailing

The Volvo Ocean Race got underway this past weekend, and even now the seven teams that are taking part in the race are en route to their first destination. If you've ever wondered what it is like to sail on such a high level, have a look at this video, which gives us a few things we should all know about the sport, which is far more demanding than most understand. These are amazing athletes working together in precision form, which allows them to go incredibly fast across the water. Check it out below.

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The Prologue for the Volvo Ocean Race is Underway

In a couple of weeks, the biggest and toughest sailing race in the world will get underway in Alicante, Spain. That's where the Volvo Ocean Race is scheduled to begin on October 22, with seven teams setting out on a 40,000 nautical mile, 11-leg journey that will visit six continents and cross three oceans in the process.

Currently, the teams are preparing for the grueling event, which will take upwards of eight months to complete. But before they can set sail on their globe-spanning adventure, they first need to get their ships to the starting line in Spain. That process is known as the Prologue, and while it is a non-scoring leg of the race, it is an important one none the less.

Yesterday, the Prologue was set to get underway near Lisbon, Portugal, but unfortunately there was practically no winds to assist them out of the shipyards there. So, instead the start of the leg was moved to Gibraltar, where the ships made their way under power before raising their sails.

Once at the new position, they discovered a light wind that could help them truly begin the Prologue, with all seven ships now en route to Alicante. This gives them a few days to shake down the boat and work out the last of the kinks before truly embarking on the voyage. This leg will cover 680 nautical miles, with higher winds expected across the Mediterranean.

Upon arriving in Alicante, the teams will have a few days to wrap up their final preparation before the In-Port race begins on Saturday, October 14. After that, the countdown will begin for the actual start of the race eight days later.

When it comes to grueling events designed to test the endurance of the athletes taking part, the Volvo Ocean Race ranks near the tip. This year's course will be particularly challenging, as the teams will spend more time in the treacherous Southern Ocean. That won't be easy, particularly as the days and weeks grind on.

As always, it should be interesting to follow the race as it unfolds. Find out more at volvooceanrace.com.

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Gear Closet: Yeti Panga 75 Waterproof Duffel Bag Review

Yeti has built itself a reputation for creating products that are designed to survive in the outdoors while performing at an incredibly high level. Take for example its Tundra coolers, which are practically indestructible and can mange to keep ice frozen for days on end. The company's other products are held to similarly high standards, which has earned the brand a loyal following amongst outdoor enthusiasts and the general public alike. In July, Yeti took the wraps off its latest product, and true to from it is also over-engineered, tough as nails, and completely awesome. I'm talking about the new Panga duffel bag of course, which is a product that practically every adventure traveler is going to want to have in their own gear closet.

Recently I've had the opportunity to test out the Panga 75, which as the name implies has a 75-liter capacity for carrying gear. That is a surprising amount of space for hauling around everything you need for your next adventure, although if you still require more space, Yeti also offers the Panga in a 100-liter version, while a smaller 50-liter model is available too. All three are virtually identical in terms of features and build-quality, so it truly is a matter of selecting the one that offers the carrying capacity you need.

Made from an incredibly tough laminated nylon shell that resembles the same fabrics used in Yeti's line of Hopper soft coolers, the Panga is practically bulletproof. The duffel can shrug off just about anything you throw at it, and come away completely unscathed. The only wear and tear that my model shows is a bit of dust and dirt from being knocked around outside. Other than that, there are no abrasions, rips, cuts, or tears of any kind. And while it is early in the bag's lifespan, I suspect it will be a very long time before such blemishes appear.

Those fabrics, when combined with Yeti's patented Hydrolock zipper, make this bag completely waterproof. Yep, you read that right, it is waterproof, not water resistant. I once got taken to task my a PR rep for a brand for calling a competing duffel "waterproof" when in reality it was only water resistant, so I was careful to ask where the Panga fell on this sliding scale. I was told that the bag will keep all water out, even if it is completely submerged.

Perhaps most impressive of all is that the Hydrolock zipper seals the Panga up airtight without having to roll the opening as you do with so many drybags. You can simply open and close the zipper as needed and trust that it is doing its job. I especially appreciate this feature when I just need to access the interior of the bag quickly, and then seal it right up again. It saves time and is more effective than other types of dry closures.

My favorite feature of the Panga is probably its EVA molded bottom. This not only serves as extra protection from moisture in damp environments, but it keeps the bag from sliding around too. This extra thick material is incredibly strong, increasing the durability of the duffel in a place where many competitors first begin to see wear and tear.

Other nice features of the Panga include six grab points for picking the duffel up, including two straps that can be slung over your shoulder to wear the bag like a backpack. And while the interior may be spartan by design, it also includes two zippered mesh pockets for organizing smaller items that you want to be able to access quickly.

The downside of the Panga duffel is that it is on the heavy side. The 75-liter model tips the scales at 6.1 pounds (2.7 kg), which is a lot of weight before you even begin to add any gear to the bag. But, that is the price you pay for an over-engineered, durable, and completely waterproof bag. In fact, I would expect nothing less from Yeti. Their products tend to lean towards the heavy side, with materials and construction methods that provide their legendary toughness. The Panga is no different in this regard, and in the long run you'll probably love it all the more for it.

As with other Yeti products, the Panga is on the pricey side too. The 75-liter duffel runs $349.99, but unsurprisingly to fans of the brand it is completely worth it. If you need a duffel bag that can survive in some of the most remote places on the planet, and you want it to keep all of you gear safe from the elements, this is the new standard for other duffels to aspire to. Simply put, it is the best bag of its kind on the market today. I can't think of higher praise than that.

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Video: What Its Like to Be a Part of a Yacht Racing Crew

Ever wonder what its like to be a part of a major sailing crew in modern yacht racing? This video will give you a sense. It is 100 seconds of completely unfiltered footage that is wild and frenetic to say the least. The speed at which the ship, and her crew, are moving is quite impressive, and gives me a better understanding of why these men and women need to be in top shape and excellent athletes.

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Video: Voyage of the Labyrinth - Episode 1

In 2012, Jase Kovacs purchased a yacht called the Labyrinth and began pursuing his life of adventure on the open seas. The video below is the first episode in a new series, in which viewers follow Jase and his crew as they explore the ocean, visiting unique islands, and seeing things that few people ever get the opportunity to see. In the opening moments of the video, Jase explains that he had always dreamed of owning his own ship and being able to sail where he wanted to, but he never thought it was possible. But now, just two years after buying the Labyrinth, he is living the life that he always dreamed of. Inspiring and interesting stuff to say the least.

Voyage of the Labyrinth: Episode 1 from Jase Kovacs on Vimeo.

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Video: Sailing To Antarctica

This video is a teaser trailer for a longer film coming this summer that will document a sailing expedition to Antarctica. The short clip below gives a sense of what that voyage is all about, offering up some great scenery from the frozen continent. Antarctica remains very high on my list of places to visit, and this video is only making a stronger case for why I should go.

Sailing to Antarctica - Trailer from Sam Darmon on Vimeo.

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French Team Pulls Plug On North Pole Sailing Expedition

A few weeks back I posted the story of two French sailors – Sébastien Roubinet and Vincent Berthet – who were attempting to sail from Barrow, Alaska to Spitsbergen, Svalbard via the North Pole aboard a specially designed catamaran that was built to cross both water and ice. At the time, the two men were still making their way north and were facing considerable challenges in the from of inclement weather and waterways that were more choked with ice than they had anticipated. On Saturday, the team elected to abandon their quest due to conditions that were deteriorating much more quickly than they had expected.

According to this story at ExWeb the team ran into problems after they crossed 82ºN. From there they started to see increased ice build up on the surface of the Arctic Ocean which was making it increasingly more difficult to make any kind of progress. On Saturday, August 31 they had only managed to cross .8 miles (1.3 km) by noon. Temperatures had fallen rapidly and the conditions were right for more ice to build up. Worse yet, the forecast said that those conditions would remain the same for the next eight days, which meant little or no progress in the future. It was than that Sébastien and Vincent made the tough choice to pull the plug on their adventure and head home.

Of course, even that won't exactly be easy to do. They are fairly far north and the bad weather conditions continue to hamper them. They also happen to be a long way from land. In fact, as of Saturday, they were just 100 miles from the Pole of Inaccessibility, which is the furthest point from land anywhere in the Arctic Ocean. That means they still have quite a journey ahead even if they aren't going to be able to complete their intended adventure.

I'm a bit sad to see these expedition come to an end. I was hoping to follow them all the way to Svalbard as I really liked the concept of their travels. It's too bad that they won't be able to continue, but it sounds like the conditions in the Arctic have been especially difficult this season, not just for this team but others who have been in the Northwest Passage. Lets hope these two men make back to land safely.

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Video: Dramatic Rescue Footage From HMS Bounty

Over the past few days I've posted a couple of stories about the sinking of the HMS Bounty and the dramatic rescue of most of her crew. One member of the crew died before SAR teams could get to their location and the captain of the ship remains missing at this time. The ship ran into trouble a few days back when it was caught in Hurricane Sandy, lost power and engines, and began to take on water. As things go progressively worse, the crew took to the lifeboats and put out a distress call. At that time, the Bounty was still standing up right and floating, but eventually the tall ship gave way to the elements and was swallowed up by the ocean.

The video below was taken by the Coast Guard rescue teams who helped retrieve the survivors from the water. It gives us a good idea of how turbulent the seas were at the time, and this was shot after Sandy moved through. At its full strength, it was impossible for the SAR teams to get to the life rafts, so they had to wait for things to calm down some. When the rescue was underway, the weather was still fairly wild.

The video comes our way courtesy of the Daily Mail and a big thanks to George for sharing the link with me.

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Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Found Off Coast Of Greenland

The SS Terra Nova holds a hallowed place in the history of exploration. The ship was used by Robert Falcon Scott on his ill fated mission to Antarctica that lasted from 1910-1912 and ended with his death on the return trip from the South Pole. After that the vessel was bought and commissioned for other types of service which eventually led to it running supplies to Greenland during World War II. In 1943 it hit thick ice and took damage to her hull, causing the ship to sink in the icy waters of the North Atlantic, never to be seen again. That is until now.

A research vessel for the Schmidt Ocean Institute was recently testing new equipment off the coast of Greenland when they came across the wreckage. Unsure of what they had found, the team took the opportunity to explore their discovery further by sending a submersible camera down to examine the ship more closely. The camera took images of the Terra Nova which were then compared to historical photos which confirmed the identity of the vessel.

Built in 1884, the Terra Nova was first used as a whaling and sealing vessel. In 1903 she was put to work as an expedition vessel under Scott, who sailed the ship into the Antarctic where her reinforced hull was perfectly suited for duty. Scott would take her back to the Antarctic seven years later when he made his bid for the South Pole. While Scott and his men were making their way to 90ºS, the Terra Nova and her crew were conducting scientific research off the coast of the frozen continent and making supply runs back to New Zealand.

Following Scott's death, the ship was sold to new owners who put her back to work at a seal fishery in Newfoundland. By 1942 the vessel had been pressed into service as a supply ship to Greenland and a year later it was sunk off the south-western tip of that country. She still sits there today, although the discovery of the ship will certainly be of interest to history buff and fans of explorers like Scott.

It would be amazing if the ship could be recovered and possibly added to a museum somewhere. But it seems that the Terra Nova incurred quite a bit of damage when she went down and now rests 1000 feet beneath the surface. It would be very expensive to try to recover the vessel, which could potentially fall apart if moved. So, she'll probably stay in her current location forever, a sunken monument to history long past.

I can't help but think that it is quite serendipitous that the Terra Nova was discovered exactly 100 years after the Scott expedition.

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Norwegian Sailor Runs Into Trouble In The Antarctic Again!

Remember that Norwegian sailing ship called Berserk that sunk off the coast of Antarctica last year? The ship was operating in the Southern Ocean without proper permits when a major storm hit the region. Three crew members lost their lives in the accident, although the captain of the vessel, Jarle Andhoey, was actually on the Antarctic continent at the time. He and another man were attempting to travel illegally to the South Pole on ATV's and were unaware of the sinking of their ship until later. When he and his companion were later rescued, Andhoey faced a criminal investigation back in Norway and was ultimately fined $5000 for not having the proper permits or insurance to operate near Antarctica.

Fast forward a year and Andhoey seems to be up to his old tricks. According this story on Jon Bowermaster's website, the Norwegian sailor has returned to the Antarctic once again this year and has once again run into trouble. As of this writing, no one has seen or heard from Andhoey and his crew for nearly a week. One of the crew members did phone home to his wife using a satellite phone a few days back and reported that the ship had broken a mast and was out of diesel fuel and food, but after that there has been no direct contact with the vessel. A legal representative of Andhoey later confirmed that the ship, a 52-foot yacht named Nilaya, was in trouble and was attempting to make its way to an Argentinian base on Antarctica to seek help.

What exactly was this self-proclaimed "Viking" doing back in Antarctic waters this year? He claims he was headed back to conduct his own search for the Berserk, the ship that went missing a year ago. Of course, he was also once again operating without proper permits or insurance, which prompted officials from Norway to alter the authorities in New Zealand to keep their eyes peeled for the Nilaya.

As Jon reports in his story, Andhoey and his crew found no trace of the Berserk and were apparently attempting to reach Cape Horn and what they thought would be potential safety from prosecution in Argentina. Those waters are treacherous this time of year however and it seems that the ship has once again run into trouble and now one is sure of its whereabout at this time.

Back in January I had read about Andhoey's return to the Southern Ocean and his search for his missing ship. I had also read that he was most likely entering those waters illegally once again. At the time, I didn't want to give the guy any more publicity than he had already received. Of course, I didn't think that he could possibly run into trouble again this year, but apparently his reckless nature knows no bounds. If he were sailing solo I would simply chalk this up as someone who was too careless for his own good and say that he is only getting one he deserves. But Andhoey keeps putting the lives of others in danger as well and he may now be responsible for the deaths of several more people. If they do find him and his crew alive and adrift off the coast of Antarctica, I hope they make sure that he never sails anywhere again.

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Kiwi Yachtsman Crosses Northwest Passage In Record Time

Kiwi solo sailor Graeme Kendall, sailing the Astral Express, recently completed a crossing of the Northwest Passage, setting a new speed record in the process. It took Kendall just 12 days to complete the crossing, which came as sweet redemption after he was turned back in 2005 due to heavy ice.

Traveling east to west, Kendall entered the Passage at Lancaster Sound on August 27th and sailed clear at Barrow Point on September 9th. That 12 day voyage sets the new standard for a solo sail through the treacherous waters north of Canada, and it is also believed to be faster than any of the fully crewed ships that have made that journey as well, although that isn't confirmed for sure. The journey also marks the completion of the first stage of a circumnavigation attempt that will not only cover 18,000 miles, but pass through 32 of the world's major ocean ways as well.

ExWeb recently posted a brief interview with Graeme, in which he discusses the hardest part of the journey, how he dealt with fatigue, and his plans for future adventures. You can read that interview by clicking here.

As you can imagine, crossing the Northwest Passage is quite a challenge for any ship, but going solo is especially tough considering you have to watch for ice yourself, and have a much more difficult time making progress while also getting your needed rest. For Graeme it seems like it was 12 days of tension, but it's pretty impressive that he was able to complete it in this short of a time.

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Russians Challenge Norwegians In North Pole Circumnavigation Race

A few weeks back I posted a story about how Norwegian explorers Børge Ousland and Thorleif Thorleifsson were preparing to attempt to circumnavigate the North Pole by sailing through both the Northeast and Northwest Passages. Now, ExWeb is saying that they may have some competition in the race to become the first people to achieve that feat. 


According to the story, a Russian crew set off on the exact same day as Børge and Thorleif on their own circumnavigation attempt. The Russian's are sailing in a 60-foot long sailing ship called the Peter 1, which is captained by Daniel Gavrilov and his crew of six. 


The Peter 1 first sailed to Grimstad in Norway to chat with Trond Aasvoll, a Norwegian sailor who has already braved the Northeast Passage. After gaining valuable insights into the Passage, they then set sail along the Norwegian coastline and are making their way to Murmansk, the Russian city that serves as the check-in point for their first challenge, the Northeast Passage. 


If all goes as planned, both crews will sail through the region in August, and exit in time for the opening of the Northwest Passage, which has traditionally been in September the past few years. The conditions of both waterways will be important for the teams though, as while the Russian ship is designed to be more stable int he water and resist impacts better, the Norwegian vessel is small, fast, and light, and was built with the intention of flitting through the water with more agility. 


This expedition was already interesting enough, and now we have a good old fashioned boat race. A little good natured competition between the crews might be kind of fun to watch. It'll be interesting to see who gets to the finish line first. 

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National Geographic Adventure (and Me!) Present The Ultimate Adventurers of 2010

National Geographic Adventure published an excellent piece today on today's Ultimate Adventurers. The story takes a look at the top accomplishments by adventurers in the first half of they year, and I'm thrilled by the story because I wrote it! :)

The plan with the project was to shine a spotlight on some of the best stories from the world of adventure so far this year, and we came up with things such as Oh Eun Sun climbing Annapurna and become the first woman to summit all of the 8000 meter peaks. We also mentioned people like Jessica Watson and Jordan Romero of course, along with Roz Savage, Mark Beaumont, and more.

The Ultimate Adventurers is a cool project, and I'm honored that the folks over at Nat. Geo asked me to be a part of it. We'll be updating the site in the weeks and months ahead, as more adventurers accomplish their goals throughout the rest off the year. Be sure to check it out on a regular basis.

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Couple Sailing Around The World Possibly Captured By Pirates

British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler have been on an around the world cruise aboard their ship the Lynn Rival for some time now, and they've even been blogging about their adventures on this website. But last Friday, the couple went missing, and their online tracking system failed to send any new updates, while the ship was off the coast of Somalia, an area that has become infamous for its pirate activity. The last known message from the couple was an ominous sounding blog update that simply says: "PLEASE RING SARAH".

Since that update there has been no trace of the Chandlers, and little news at all. A few days back, a Somali pirate leader named Farah Abdi released a statement saying that they had captured the pair, but there has yet to be any kind of confirmation that they are indeed in the pirates hands.

Today, the New York Times is reporting that seven pirates believed to have been involved with the adduction have been taken into custody by European Union ships operating in the area. The pirates were making a raid on a fishing vessel at the time, and were said to have the Chandler's 38-foot yacht in tow, as they were making their way back to pirate town of Xarardheere.

Capturing these pirates is a good start of course, but we still don't know where the Chandlers are or what their current condition is. Lets hope that we get confirmation of their good health soon, and that they'll also be released soon as well. One can't help but wonder though if the blog updates and real time satellite tracking played into their capture at all. Anyone know if Somali Pirates have the Internet?

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