David Scott Cowper is 82, and his first solo voyage through the Northwest Passage, in the converted lifeboat Mabel E. Holland, began in the Davis Strait in 1986. After spending 3 winters north of the Arctic Circle, Mabel eventually travelled south through the Bering Strait in 1989:
Image: David Scott Cowper – Shared under a CC BY-SA 1.0 licence
David’s second solo voyage through the Northwest Passage took place from east to west starting in 2003. His purpose built motor vessel, Polar Bound, spent the winter in Cambridge Bay and completed the voyage in the summer of 2004:
Image: Cambridge Bay Weather – Shared under a CC BY-SA 3.0 licence
For this summer’s east to west voyage David is travelling in Polar Bound once again, this time accompanied by Susannah Broome. They have crossed the North Atlantic from Newcastle and have recently departed from Qaqortoq in the south west of Greenland:
David is currently being treated for prostate cancer, and is using his latest exploit to help raise money for the “Daft as a Brush” cancer patient care charity:
Randall Reeves sailed solo east to west through the Northwest Passage in 2019. This year he is making the return trip, accompanied by Harmon Shragge, as part of a multi-year voyage “Around the Americas“.
Randall and Harmon in S/V Moli are currently sheltering in Elson Lagoon behind Point Barrow, and here is a video revealing the state of the Chukchi Sea a couple of days ago:
Tamara Klink is 27, and she sailed solo across the Arctic Circle in September 2023. Tamara and her yacht, Sardinha 2, remained iced in near Oqaatsut, West Greenland over the winter!
Now that the sea ice in Disko Bay has melted Tamara and Sardinha 2 are continuing their journey, heading up the west coast of Greenland:
Polar Bound has crossed the Arctic Circle and has now stopped at Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island:
Randall and Harmon have left Elson Lagoon. Here’s some sea ice they encountered off the Beaufort Sea coast of Alaska:
Meanwhile Tamara has sailed a long way north along the west coast of Greenland. Sardinha 2 is now anchored at Meteorite Island in Melville Bay:
Polar Bound is now half way across Baffin Bay:
Moli is now anchored at Tuktoyaktuk:
Meanwhile Sardinha 2 has reached Kiatak/Northumberland Island:
David Cowper has reached Pond Inlet in Polar Bound:
By way of additional evidence, here is an image of Polar Bound anchored off Pond Inlet via the webcam of the cruise ship MS Fridtjof Nansen:
Meanwhile Moli has reached the Dolphin and Union Strait:
Having spent some time anchored in Erebus Bay near Beechey Island, Polar Bound is now heading further west towards Resolute:
I cannot help but wonder where David will head next! Meanwhile Moli has reached Cambridge Bay:
In a post on her Facebook page Tamara has revealed that she is no longer alone. Sardinha 2 is still heading north and has reached Siorapaluk:
Moli has reached the western entrance to Bellot Strait:
Meanwhile Polar Bound has been exploring Barrow Strait:
Tamara is now heading south:
After taking a turn around Barrow Strait David Scott Cowper is now heading due west:
The remaining question is whether he intends to turn south through Prince of Wales Strait or continues on to McClure Strait.
Meanwhile Moli is resting at Port Ross:
Polar Bound has turned south, and is now taking route 2 through the Prince of Wales Strait:
Meanwhile Moli is exploring Cuming Inlet on Devon Island:
Sardinha 2 has returned to Meteorite Island:
Polar Bound has rounded Cape Bathurst, and rather than hugging the coast is taking a direct route to Point Barrow across the Beaufort Sea:
Meanwhile Moli is heading across Baffin Strait towards Disko Bay…
where Sardinha 2 is already waiting at Ilulissat:
Having (almost?) reached Point Barrow, Polar Bound has reversed course and is now presumably intent on heading back to the United Kingdom:
Meanwhile Moli has reached Disko Bay:
Moli has reached Sisimiut:
Meanwhile Polar Bound is motoring eastwards through Canadian waters off the Mackenzie delta:
Watch this space!