St. John's, Newfoundland

Ocean Watch sailed south of the Arctic Circle this past week and officially left the Arctic and in doing so completed the historic west to east transit of the Northwest Passage. We are the first American vessel to ever achieve this in a single season from the west and only the third small American vessel of any kind to make the easterly passage.

There were a record number of vessels attempting the passage this season another sure sign of a changing climate in the north. There will certainly be more and more attempts in the years to come. This comes with other consequences as sailors and boaters of any and all skill levels will be trying the north. The Canadian Coast Guard will be put to the test and as we found out this summer with another sailboat, it is very expensive when assistance is requested. The Canadian icebreaker burned through $25,000 in fuel to come to the assistance of the small sailboat only to find the owner had freed themselves of danger and not bothered to let the Canadian Coast Guard know. One of many stories.

The multi-year ice is diminishing and the cycle is in place for further melting. There is quite a discussion about how many events, such as the dramatic 2007 melt, the polar ice cap can withstand. I encourage everyone to take a serious look at the issue. Very easy to find information online. Here is some of the latest from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC):

August 2009 compared to past years

Arctic sea ice extent for August 2009 was the third lowest August since 1978, continuing the downward trend observed over the last three decades. Only 2007 and 2008 had lower ice extent during August. The long-term trend indicates a decline of 8.7% per decade in August ice extent since 1979.



Now we are heading south and on to Halifax, Boston, NYC, Charleston, and Miami. Our focus will shift into the science, education, and presentation modes. We look forward to the challenges ahead.

Again, thank you to all who have assisted us on Ocean Watch and those of you who have helped me in so many ways in a more personal manner.

See you in a port closer to home very soon...

Completed Northwest Passage

Saturday, August 30th. Pond Inlet, Nunavut, Canada

Ocean Watch finally turned south and headed down Navy Board Inlet to this picturesque little Canadian hamlet on Baffin Island. We made it! Tomorrow we fuel up and head out into Baffin Bay and head south to ice-free waters and St. John's, Newfoundland.

We became the first American vessel in history to make the west to east passage in a single year and only the third American small vessel to ever complete a west to east passage. Amazing in 2009 there remains such small numbers, but they will be growing as more vessels hear it is doable. Probably 9-10 small vessels of various nationalities will make the passage this year. A record.

I am the first American sailor to make the Northwest Passage in both directions, and for sure the first to make the passage both directions in a single year (sailed on Roger Swanson's Cloud Nine, 2007, east to west). Of course a sailor from Iowa would do that, right, but I typify what is happening with more explorers of all walks of life, in all kinds of boats coming further north.

While some folks have been saying there was more ice this year and climate change therefore is not happening, I point once again to a record number of boats completing the NW Passage and the ice dissintegrating again, although slightly later than the last two years.

Actually all the warming and melting the last two years contributed to more ice in the channels here through the passage as older ice wwas released from the more northern pack ice and freed up to move south into more ice free waters and then refreeze with new, first-year ice more susceptible to the melt season. Older ice is thicker and less prone to the summer melt season. These were the factors this summer for our attempt.

Lots to study, data to assemble, and presentations to ready as we now head south on Ocean Watch to poulation centers along the eastern seaboard of both continents and discuss sea and ocean issues with scientists, educators, school children and the public at large. We cannot wait to have and share these opportunities with you.

Thanks to all who have assisted me personally and Ocean Watch in general. Could not have done it without you. More to come soon along the path as we head south to the Arctic Circle now and exit the Arctic, my sixth time across this northern boundary.

Stayed tuned to the Ocean Watch website (link to the right). Great work accumulating there and we have a surprise in a book being published and released for our NYC arrival! New articles in Cruising World, BoatUS, and Soundings magazines. Real Science online also has good coverage.

Thanks again everyone. See you very soon in a port near you! Signing off for now.
Photographer and crewmember, David Thoreson over and out of here.

A few highlights from recent events.

Yes that is DT looking for open leads in the pack ice and at last, finding them. Also we found the Brits in the small boat (www.arcticmariner.org) and my pictures on the Jumbotron on Times Sqare, NYC.... and so we on Ocean Watch roll on to Gjoa Haven.

Arrived in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Arctic Canada

August 16 Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada

It has been some three weeks since updating my blog. Apologies but hey you know it has been a somewhat busy time in life.

We have sailed from Barrow, Alaska, to Cambridge Bay, a great NW Passage stop in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle. There are three sailboats (maybe four as I write) here doing the passage and the first east to west boat has just arrived. This is a French sailboat captained by the famous French sailor/racer Philippe Poupon. He is with his wife, four kids and a dog.

We on Ocean Watch have encountered great people and gathered rich experiences along the path at Cooper Island with George Divoky, Herschel Island and its great whaling history, Tuktoyaktuk and traditional hunting/fishing, Summer's Harbour and Pearce Point with amazing landscapes, nature, and new friends. We found lots of ice in Amundsen Gulf and worked our way through the maze and discovered two British Royal Marines doing the passage in an open 17' sailboat. And then went ice-free and sailed unencumbered into Cambridge last night.

Ice reports look pretty good to run over to Gjoa Haven, Roald Amundsen's infamous winter harbor for two years. Then we will see what happens in the channels to the north. Right now we enjoy a break and try to soak in the experiences and fathom the issues of the Arctic.

Ice Waiting in Barrow

Barrow is proving to be quite a stop with now three Northwest Passage sailboats in the area. The Canadian Open Passage Expedition is in town. I consulted with Cameron Dueck over a year ago on how to transit the passage. Now here he and crew are, poised to move east, investigate for themselves, and see what happens. The other vessel is Baloum Gwen, a custom 49-foot metal sailboat skippered by Thierry Fabing of France which did the passage last year east to west. Now they are attempting to go back west to east. I believe this is unprecedented.

Everyone is looking at climate change issues. We have been meeting with NOAA scientists and whale experts including native eskimo whale captains. We played soccer on the blue field and while there heard stories of houses here in Barrow becoming unstable because the pilings weren't deep enough into the now unfrozen "permafrost." Traditional deep food storage in the permafrost is now in jeopardy as they need to be up to 25 feet deep instead of the 12-15. Hunters and fisherman are falling through the ice even in winter as warmer, fast-moving currents are melting the ice from beneath.

Today we listened to much of the Pt. Hope, Alaska, energy conference where oil companies were doing their usual things offering gifts of high-payng jobs and thriving local economies if only they are allowed to drill n Arctic waters. Native people are wondering what happens to their subsistence fishing and hunting when whales ears explode from seismic testing or these waters are fouled by an oil spill.
There are no large ship ports in the north and it is very shall. Quick response to a spill is virtually impossible.

These are a few of the issues and items we ponder as we wait for ice to clear to the east and continue on into the heart of the NW Passage.

Ice Outlook from National Snow and Ice Data Center

This is a quote from the NSIDC which leaves some speculation as to what is taking place up here this summer. Sounds similar to my 2007 success on Cloud Nine but less rapid breakup of the ice. What will we see?

The Arctic is now in the midst of the summer melt season. Through most of June, ice extent tracked below the 1979 to 2000 average, and slightly above the levels recorded during June 2007. Warm temperatures and southerly winds led to quickly declining ice concentration in some regions, such as the Laptev Sea.

The contrast between high and low pressure is broadly similar to the atmospheric circulation pattern that set up in 2007. In 2007, that pattern contributed to a significantly accelerated decline in ice extent during July, and a record minimum low in September. Will the same acceleration in ice melt occur this year? If so, a new record low minimum extent becomes more likely. So far, an acceleration has not been observed. As July progresses, the Arctic sun gets lower on the horizon, incoming solar energy decreases, and the chances of such a rapid decline become less likely.

Photos From Nome to Barrow- From Ice to Science