The sailing vessel One Ocean and her crew sit anchored off the Baillie Islands, NWT, watching a stubborn ice plug hold fast between Sachs Harbour, Baillie Island, and Cape Parry.
We’ve got eyes on it from every angle: Canadian Ice Charts, daily satellite imagery from Harry Stern — a polar ice scientist at the University of Washington and dear friend who has been working with us on our project — plus data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The verdict is the same: the ice is breaking, but it’s thick, old ice, as shown below.
These are the concentrations we look at daily:
The satellite imagery from Harry Stern has been the most helpful at this point:
For a fiberglass boat like ours, that’s no small matter. Steel hull or not, as Mark likes to remind us, “You can’t hit ice.” The difference is our shallow 6-foot draft versus the 9-foot keel of Ocean Watch, his steel-hulled boat from the 2009 expedition. That choice gives us more options in shallower water, but the rule remains absolute — ice will slice a hull open.
So we wait. The forecast calls for a north wind in a few days, which could push the ice back in and block us again. Ugh… the choices. But once we’re passed this floe, the rest of the passage looks clear — at least for now. In the Arctic, “clear” is a fragile word. Wind, current, air temperature, and even the slow turn of the Earth can change the game overnight.
In the meantime, I’m making the most of it. There’s much to explore up here — how often does one reach the Arctic Circle? Yesterday we had a stunning sail from McKinley Bay to the Baillie Islands. The boat is holding up beautifully, and for the first time, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s starting to feel like we won’t be wintering in the Arctic. Knock on wood or ice...whatever one can find here in this remote land of no trees!
This project has been a massive undertaking — second only to raising kids. Some days it’s overwhelming, inspiring, exhausting, and always exciting. I signed up for this with full enthusiasm and no regrets. I’m proud of our team, of what we’re trying to accomplish, and of how everyone is giving their best.
We’ve also had the joy of sailing with Dave Logan since Nome, Alaska. Dave was part of the 2009–10 Around the Americas circumnavigation, and it’s been a gift to learn from his knowledge, skill, cooking, humor, and stories. Hearing him and Mark reminisce about that earlier journey — a mission to raise awareness about the changing state of our ocean — fills me with awe and gratitude.
We’re remote here - even with satellite comms and there’s little downtime. Mornings are for checking weather, charts, crafting a plan and then we all work on our parts of the project. I work on making connections, answer emails, sort pictures, update the website, post blogs, and so much more. Afternoons we tend to work on boat maintenance, and then whenever possible, we head ashore. Right now, we will remain on board. A heavy fog has rolled in — the water’s 55°F, the air 50°F — a strange pairing when you’re waiting on ice.
This is the Arctic....dry air, warmer waters, soggy ground melting beneath our feet.
Tomorrow will be another day, another adventure, and possibly underway!
Over and out for now.
Jenn