Tag Archives: Cape Bathurst

Ella and Yeva Start Circumnavigating the Arctic

June 13, 2025ExpeditionsAARI, Arctic Circle, Barrow, Bellot Strait, Cape Bathurst, Cape Farewell, Ella Hibbert, Fort Ross, Iceland, Lancaster Sound, Laptev Sea, Nuuk, NWP, Pearce Point Harbour, Pond Inlet, Pullen Island, Tay Bay, Tuktoyaktuk, YevaJim Hunt

I mentioned the start of Ella Hibbert‘s long voyage in her yacht Yeva over on this year’s Northwest Passage thread. Ella and Yeva have now crossed north of the Arctic Circle near Iceland and have begun their attempt to circumnavigate the Arctic in a single summer by sailing past the north of Iceland in a westerly direction:

According to yesterday evening’s update from Ella’s shore team:

Ella’s had a tough time of it today, which is why she hasn’t posted her daily vlog. After days of drifting, she has wind and lots of it.

“35-40 knots, but the wind’s not the issue, it’s the sea state. Massive waves, breaking crests and spray.”

She’s having to run north to take the waves on Yeva’s stern as it was getting too dangerous to sail with them coming over the beam (side-on).

“Having the weight of the Norwegian Sea dumped on me in the cockpit was pretty miserable. The cockpit literally filled like a bathtub with me in it.”

The tracking map above suggests that conditions have moderated and Yeva is back on course for Cape Farewell

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The Northwest Passage in 2022

June 22, 2022ExpeditionsAmundsen, Arctic Cowboys, AWI, Baffin Island, Bellot Strait, Beto Pandiani, Cape Bathurst, CIS, Cornwallis Island, Covid-19, Cruise Mapper, CryoSat-2, Depot Bay, Henry Larsen, Igloo, Inuvik, Karl Kruger, L'Austral, Lancaster Sound, Le Commandant Charcot, Maiwenn Beadle, Marine Traffic, McClure Strait, MODIS, National Geographic Resolution, Noorderzon, Northwest Passage Expedition, NWP, Paulatuk, Peel Sound, Pond Inlet, Pont Hope, Prince Regent Inlet, Queens Channel, Rae Strait, Rota Polar, Scenic Eclipse, Silver Wind, Simpson Strait, SMOS, SUP, Tuktoyaktuk, Typhoon MerbokJim Hunt

After a quiet couple of years due to the Covid-19 pandemic there are numerous cruises through the Northwest Passage planned for the summer of 2022. Some (very!) small vessels are also currently scheduled to attempt that perilous journey. First of all let’s take a look at a map of the assorted routes through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago:

plus another map which includes a few more place names:

Next comes news of the expeditions planned by a variety of intrepid adventurers. According to Karl Kruger’s web site :

In 2022, Karl will attempt to become the first human to paddle 1,900 miles of the Northwest Passage on a standup paddleboard.

The article at the link is undated, but suggests that Karl initially intended to set off for Pond Inlet from Tuktoyaktuk in July 2019, but postponed the trip until the summer of 2020. By then Covid restrictions were in place, so next month provides the first opportunity for him to attempt the journey once again.

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The Northwest Passage in 2021

May 18, 2021MeltAlbanyborg, AMSR2, Amundsen Gulf, Atlanticborg, Barrow Strait, Bellot Strait, CAA, Cape Bathurst, Christian Katlein, CIS, Franklin Strait, HMCS Harry DeWolf, King William Island, Lancaster Sound, Larsen Sound, Mackenzie River, Nunalik, NWP, Prince of Wales Strait, Prince Regent Inlet, Sentinel, Sinaa, Terry Fox, USCGC Healy, Victoria StraitJim Hunt

Prompted by a comment on the Northwest Passage thread from last year I’m opening the 2021 equivalent earlier than usual, in part because there’s already a lot going on of interest. First of all let’s get our bearings with the help of this map of the area:

and another map detailing the routes through Canadian Arctic Archipelago that have previously been successfully traversed:

The forecast high pressure has arrived and the skies have cleared over the Beaufort Sea, which reveals that the land-fast ice off the Mackenzie Delta has started breaking up:

In addition the snow has been melting along the valley of the Mackenzie River, and the resulting increased flow at the mouth of the delta is flooding the fast ice:

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The Great White Con

Putting the Arctic sea ice record straight

Tag Archives: Cape Bathurst

Ella and Yeva Start Circumnavigating the Arctic

The Northwest Passage in 2022

The Northwest Passage in 2021