NWP Notes

After several years of limited Arctic passage-making due to Covid restrictions, the Northwest Passage was once more hotly contested this year. It was a difficult year for ice as described by Victor Wejer who assists yachts transiting with ice and weather forecasts. Victor counted eight yachts amongst those successfully completing the passage in 2022. 

Maiwenn Beadle, who is the captain of the “pleasure craft” Noorderzon, was apparently the skipper of the first pleasure craft to transit Bellot Strait this year. She has done so remarkably early and may be the first female professional captain to transit the NWP. Noorderzon is a motor vessel (ex. tug) with some 300-ton displacement and with many paid tourists served by cooks. 

The Great White Con blog covers all the known attempts including a small catamaran, a guy on a SUP, a group of kayakers from Texas, and a bunch of rowers, all of whom attempted and withdrew when they realised what they were up against. The rowers rescheduled for another year, the kayakers (Arctic Cowboys) gave up after reaching Arctic Bay, the catamaran stopped about 400 km short of completion, and the SUP got just 420 mi into it before quitting. Nuts is all I'll say.