Northwest Passage 2019

I've been following Randall Reeves' Figure 8 Voyage. He is currently en route from Greenland to the NW Passage. It's a bit late in the season to be attempting the transit but his goal is to complete a circumnavigation of the Americas and Antarctica in one season. He and Moli are pushing to complete their amazing journey. It prompted me to have a look at what he might be facing and who else might be up there.

What I found was at first not encouraging. The July news was that the sea ice had started melting almost a month earlier than it should have. But by August, the Passage was still closed. When Randall discovered an oil leak in his drivetrain, he contacted Viktor Wejer, "I wrote to Victor, lamenting how far behind my original schedule I had fallen and asked for an ice update. 'There is no need to rush, Randall,' he responded. 'Environment Canada isn’t reporting on the central parts of the Arctic yet. Solid ice. You have at least ten days.'"

So there it is. Unpredictable. I hope Randall makes it. Some other ships are reportedly now on the move. And an icebreaker carrying scientists and filmmakers have gone in and out to document climate change. You can watch their videos here.  Once again, it will be fascinating to watch man face nature with unknown consequences.

Prior transits of the NW Passage.