Emails from the Edge

The Magnetic North Pole.

I got an email from Martin today that I thought I would just post.

"...We are now north of Matty Island and continuing north.  Basically we are now somewhere close to the magnetic North Pole and very very north of eastern Texas.  In 130 miles, we will have to decide if we can turn east again and go through the Bellot Strait, or if we should continue north to Peel Sound for another 150 miles beyond Bellot—and then turn east.  It all depends on how the ice, wind and currents all play into the game.

Last night we had very rough weather, and because the boat was leaning so far over, the engine couldn't get any cooling water, so it overheated and cut out.  Fortunately this morning we got it going again.

After days of fog and rain, today it is finally sunny, but still very cold.  I can see my breath in the cabin, and my fingers can barely type.

Having fun in spite of the challenges.

Love,

Martin"

Martin later reported in a text to me that because they are so close to the magnetic North Pole, their compass is useless for navigation.  So they can't depend on charts or a compass!  Now it's good ol' winging it for now.

I got another interesting email from Martin about the effects of global warming and how its impact on the current climate.

It says:

Danny Aaluk - Artist in Goja Haven 

"...Danny Aaluk, who is a local artist in Goja Haven, was interviewed on 8/12/2015.  He said that the arctic is warming.  Ice is usually clearing earlier in the year, except for this year.

He first saw some bats in Goja Haven about 5 years ago.  One was caught by his nephew and turned over to fish and game.

Grizzly Bears started coming to Goja Haven in about 2009, and are showing up now with a lot more frequency.

They are also seeing some new types of bugs they have never seen before.

Mosquitos are changing - They used to just have the small ones that didn’t bother them so much when they were bitten.  Now the ones with the worse bite are coming up from the south.   They are much bigger mosquitos.
—Martin"

Let's hope they make it through the Strait without too many complications.

—Kym

Ice Maps and the Bellot Strait

Midnight sunset.  Cambridge Bay

Martin and the crew of Aventura left Cambridge Bay on Sunday.  On Tuesday, he called me from a small town about 200 nm east of Cambridge Bay and had me check the ice charts (Side note:  I have NO IDEA how to read ice charts).  Their internet connection was sketchy and he wasn't able to pull down the files himself without taking down the internet in his area.  So, it was up to me to talk him through the map.

Now imagine me trying to explain the
ice situation to Martin over the phone.

So after a few hours of me twerking my neck from left to right and saying to him, "ummm... it looks pretty clear."  He gave up on me and contacted Harry Stern at the Polar Ice Center and had him give him a more educated and thorough report of the ice between Goja Haven and the Bellot Strait.

According to Wikipedia...
The Bellot Strait is a passage of water in Nunavut separating Somerset Island on the north from the Boothia Peninsula on the south. At its eastern end is the Murchison Promontory, the northernmost part of mainland North America.

Here was Harry's reply:

"...OK, I guess you're going west to east.  From Gjoa Haven heading north, it looks like there is some ice between Matty Island and the Boothia Peninsula.  It may be passable, can't tell from the 3-km grid size of AMSR2. Beyond that, it's clear to Bellot Strait. There is a blob of ice in Larsen Sound, but it doesn't reach all the way to the coast of the Boothia Peninsula, so you can avoid it. Peel Sound is clear up to its northern end, and it may even be passable there too if the concentration is low enough.
Cheers, 
-Harry"

I am so grateful to everyone that is willing to help Aventura's success.  It looks like they are going for it and going to pass through the Bellot Strait on Friday!

Cambridge Bay

A man on a mission

This just in!  Martin and crew just arrived at Cambridge Bay.  Once again, ahead of schedule.  I have more to write but will have to do it tomorrow since it's late and I have a busy day tomorrow.   Martin has had great internet since he arrived and we have been burning up the internet talking to one another--so I will make sure to write a proper post later.  For now, I just wanted you all to know that they are winding their way through the Northwest Passage with great success.   Luck is definitely on their side.

An update to where Martin is at the moment, not super clear, but at least you can see how far they have come—Cambridge Bay (photo cred: Jimmy Cornell, cornellsailing.com)

Until then, here are a few great pics of Martin's adventure so far...

Martin conversing with the local Inuits... 

Catching up on their movies while aboard Aventura

Fellow crew member, Dunbar, sizing up a Polar Bear

Hanging out.

I am so glad that Aventura is ahead of schedule and I am crossing my fingers that it means an earlier arrival to Nuuk (the final destination).

Until then, fingers crossed the ice is in their favor.

—Kym

Life in Tuk

It really has been wonderful to have Martin in Tuk.  He was able to get internet access as well as get a local to do their laundry.  All is right in the world again.

In our discussions, Martin said that on the island of Tuk, the climate change has really affected the natural wildlife as well as the way of life for the Inuit village.  Ice is a lot more fragile meaning that a lot of the animals that walk out on the ice fall through it because it hasn't built up like it has in past years.  Also, where there were once beautiful formations of ice, they are now diminished to small blocks of ice.

In the picture below, you can see the permafrost melting...

Melting permafrost layer that is causing the out gassing of carbon onto the landscape.

While in Tuk, Martin was also able to send me some photos of the people and land.  I thought they would be interesting to share.

Traditional Inuit Sod Hut

Old Whaling Icehouse

Old Graves

Musk Ox Skulls 

Bear Skin being dried

Inuit children playing

Martin and his crew should be taking off in a short while and heading to Holeman where they will eventually try and work their way up to Cambridge Bay to wait out the ice.  I hope to hear from him once he arrives in Holeman.

TUk

Aventura arrived in "Tuk" last night and I got a whole collection of photos from Martin of the island.  Of course, this photo was my favorite.  More updates to follow... Stay tuned!