Fiona Sails the Northwest Passage in 2009

Russ Roberts speaks at the Lake Superior Maritime Museum in Duluth, MN

2011-09-08T11:34:00.000-04:00

Thursday, October 6 – “The Inner Reaches of the Northwest Passage” Airline pilot, sailor and broadcaster, Captain Russell Roberts will speak about his experience sailing the Northwest Passage across the top of the world in a 42-foot fiberglass pleasure boat. Captain Roberts will share details about navigation, icy travails, the arctic weather as well as the people and animals he encountered

The story continues on Facebook

2011-04-27T10:18:00.002-04:00

For more click on Russ Roberts' Northwest Passage Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Russ-Roberts-on-The-Inner-Reaches-of-the-Northwest-Passage/206278999399721 Are you interested in having Russ Roberts bring the story of Fiona's trip, "The Inner Reaches of the Northwest Passage," to your event or gathering? E-mail him at russ.roberts.va@gmail.com.

Russ Roberts Speaks in Orange, Virginia

2011-04-21T02:53:00.001-04:00

News report from the Orange County Review: Come to the Orange Historical Society's Research Center, 130 Caroline Street, at 7 p.m. April 25 to hear Russ Roberts' presentation: The Inner Reaches of the Northwest Passage. For well over a century, the Holy Grail of explorers was the Northwest Passage, an imagined sea route around North America to the riches of the Orient. A few even hoped to

Russ Roberts speaks about the Northwest Passage

2011-03-14T11:31:00.002-04:00

Russ Roberts' "The Inner Reaches of the Northwest Passage," is scheduled for Wed March 16 7PM at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, VA and on Sat March 26 2PM at the Vancouver Maritime Museum in Vancouver, BC, Canada www.marinersmuseum.org/ http://www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com/

Fiona in Resolute Video (Summer 2009)

2010-07-09T17:21:00.000-04:00

Click here for a YouTube video of Fiona in Resolute

Eric Forsyth Arrives in Dutch Harbor

2009-09-19T12:29:00.013-04:00

Fiona arrived in Dutch Harbor, Alaska yesterday morning with her captain, Eric Forsyth, 77, the only person on board. After the two remaining crew members, Joe and David, left the boat in Nome, Eric pushed off alone for the Aleutians. The trip took almost a week. He anchored before dawn Friday morning. He next job, he said on his website, will be to find a crew for the next leg to the west

The 2009 Ice Melt Season Ends

2009-09-18T13:12:00.005-04:00

From the National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder (September 17, 2009): Arctic sea ice reaches annual minimum extent Arctic sea ice appears to have reached its minimum extent for the year, the third-lowest extent since the start of satellite measurements in 1979. While this year's minimum extent is above the record and near-record minimums of the last two years, it

Back from the Ice

2009-09-14T13:49:00.016-04:00

Having returned from the "Summer of Cold" on the Northwest Passage, I am in the process of editing my journal, sorting the thousands of photographs and attempting to put the trip into perspective. This year all but one of the ten vessels (ten that we know about) attempting the Passage completed their goal. No vessels were damaged, no crew members injured, no "Mayday" calls were made and no

Cambridge Bay

2009-08-26T12:33:00.015-04:00

Fiona arrived in Cambridge Bay in fine "shirtsleeve" weather Tuesday evening, just in time for Happy Hour. Sprague Theobald and Chauncey Tanton from the M/V Bagan boarded for drinks and interviews with Fiona's crew. Sprague is producing what he hopes will be a multi-part TV series on the Northwest Passage and the 2009 season in particular. Bagan and Fiona are two of the ten vessels attempting

Sailing West

2009-08-25T00:12:00.013-04:00

Saturday Fiona anchored in McClintock Bay and waited for the wind to moderate before pushing west early Sunday. Russ reported via SSB datalink on Monday: "Overnite McClintock Bay Sunday. Want good daylight for passage south of Royal Geographical Society Islands today. Reefs, etc. ETA Cambridge Bay Tuesday evening." By clicking on and enlarging the photo at left one see's why Fiona's crew did

Fiona Underway to Cambridge Bay

2009-08-22T17:53:00.015-04:00

Email from Russ Thursday August 20 after arriving in Gjoa Haven: "We arrived in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut this morning around 10AM. Rainy and foggy but otherwise good to be here. This is where Roald Amundsen wintered with the Gjoa before proceeding west to complete his passage. At the end of his second winter in Gjoa Haven he encountered San Francisco whale ships in Deale Sound near present day

Fiona Arrives Gjoa Haven

2009-08-20T14:07:00.017-04:00

Entry from Russ Roberts journal on 8/20/09: 46 miles to Gjoa Haven at 0815. It will feel good to get there. Rae Strait is bumpy this AM after overnight winds which have swells unsettled. It's raining and damp. Last Message received from Russ on Wednesday night: "Quiet night tied to floe. Underway 6AM. Motoring well. 130nm (nautical miles) to Gjoa. Biggest story on this trip is how little

NIce Day

2009-08-19T12:14:00.000-04:00

Entry from Russ Roberts' journal: Nice day - like a Caribbean cruise.

Waiting Game

2009-08-19T00:39:00.020-04:00

The winds have shifted from the south to the north slowly pushing the ice in a more southwesterly direction and hopefully opening a passage with low enough ice concentration to make it possible for Fiona, Perithia, and Bagan to arrive in Gjoa Haven soon. 12:03PM Email from Russ: "All well & happy. Waiting game. Fog. Wind shifting. 'Breaker Laurier ETA late tonight. Rec'd e-mail from Sprague on

Morning Watch

2009-08-18T12:14:00.000-04:00

From Russ Roberts' journal entry: 0400: On watch. Quiet. Occasional whale songs. In the last hour we've started a drift to the southwest. A change from the last 24 hours. Wind seems to be starting to move. It's forecast to be from the north. This could give problems. Better to have easterlies. But then, we were supposed to have favorable southeasterlies and wound up here, stuck.

Ice Everywhere!

2009-08-17T16:57:00.020-04:00

[Joe Waits photo] Sunday August 16, email from Russ: "FREEZING, sleet, wind, ice everywhere, like world's biggest game of Dodg'em. I wear the Mustang suit and Grundens foulies [foul weather clothing] to stay safe and warm. Through Shortland Channel in Tasmania Islands. Hand steered all the way in ice and fog. Making for Matty Island." At the time Russ wrote that, the Fiona was in 1/10 ice

A Busy Day

2009-08-16T20:13:00.003-04:00

Entry from Russ Roberts' journal: Due to lousy weather and increasing concentration of ice Eric called the Coast Guard to give them our position. After pancakes for breakfast we are checking and filling the Go Bag. This is a partial list of some stuff we need to put in it in case we need to abandon ship(discuss more with others): Epirb SPOT locator beacon Iridium phone Shotgun & shells Food

Farewell Resolute

2009-08-15T23:03:00.008-04:00

Fiona left Resolute Friday morning, 14 August, sailing south down Peel Sound. Progress Saturday was made more difficult with south winds and at 6:30 pm Russ reported that they had finally sailed far enough south to have "ice in sight". The next couple of days will no doubt be the most intense for the crew of the Fiona as Franklin Strait and Larsen Sound are still strewn with ice. The ice is

Big Ice Floes in Resolute Bay

2009-08-14T19:06:00.001-04:00

Fiona's Resolute departure was set for noon today. At 0530 Eric woke us up, concerned about several big ice floes surrounding us (again). He decided we would leave right away. He did tell Uwe on Perithia that we were shoving off, but I feel bad Eric did not wait for him. David stood his first two hour watch at 1400. Visibility down to less than 1,000 feet in fog with the sun right on the

From the journal

2009-08-13T18:59:00.001-04:00

Eric wanted to leave Saturday. I had recommended leaving today, Thursday the 13th, in order to get down close to the ice. That way we would be set to make a run when the wind opens up a lead to Gjoa Haven (or better yet northwest of the island direct to Cambridge Bay ... a wild dream indeed!). In the end he weighed all the options and decided noon, Friday is the time to leave. Perithia

Ice Melt on Par With 2007

2009-08-12T16:35:00.002-04:00

Here's the August 4th article from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. It shows the ice melting at a record pace. But, for Fiona's trip this is a two-edged sword. The warm weather is dislodging old ice that normally survives year to year. This ice starts to migrate and can clog up passages that are normally open. Arctic sea ice extent for the month of July was the third lowest for that

Still Cooling the Jets in Resolute

2009-08-12T13:35:00.001-04:00

entry from Russ Roberts journal: The Mounties, Carol and Ted, came down to the boat yesterday to tell us about the bear. It had been in town the night before we saw it swimming in the bay and had chased a kid down the street, or so the story goes. We may wait another day or two before leaving. We have set the 16th as our "bingo day," the decision day on whether to get underway for Cambridge

The Pervasive Aroma

2009-08-11T21:34:00.008-04:00

"Russ, Russ, hurry up on deck! Look behind you!" Eric called from the dingy. I turned to see a polar bear swimming into the bay. Eric had gone to shore to fetch David's gear but cut his errand a bit short. The bear, meanwhile, swam to shore and headed to town. A local resident, however, "buzzed" it with a four-wheeler (called a "quad" here) chasing the polar bear in a flurry of flying feet,

Ice Wrangling

2009-08-09T13:14:00.001-04:00

entry from Russ Roberts journal: Three times this morning we rousted out to reset the anchor. The first time, at 0500, was when the anchor chain was found laying on top of an ice floe which lifted the anchor off the bottom. The other two times was to get out of the way of incoming chunks of ice. Other than that and a 25 knot wind, it is a quiet morning. David came by to visit. He slept on

The Downside of Adventure ... A Week in Resolute

2009-08-08T14:27:00.011-04:00

Resolute was established in 1947 as a weather station and military airfield. It is Canada's 2nd northernmost town with a population just over 200. An average yearly temperature of 2.5F degrees makes it one of the coldest inhabited places in the world. The area is experiencing 24 hours of daylight now until the middle of August when the days start to become shorter leading to the period of

An Interesting Day In Resolute Bay

2009-08-07T16:08:00.004-04:00

On Friday, August 7th, we awoke at 4:30 to someone "you-hooing" from shore. My first thought was, "Damn kids, don't they ever go to bed?" Then Joe rolled out, popped his head out the hatch and said, "Shit. Look at this." Resolute Bay was full of ice and it was moving our way. Beyond the ice Fleur Australe, the French boat, was making its way out by way of the only lead along the shore (Fleur has

Days in Resolute

2009-08-06T15:14:00.002-04:00

From Russ Roberts journal: It is the 6th of August. The days are ticking by. I remember a couple of weeks ago, the whole boat not only damp but wet, the chop kicking us around, the boat heeled 20 to 25 degrees, the boat's head reeking, its saloon smelling like a locker room, me feeling a bit seasick [which undoubtedly exacerbated the entire experience] and thinking the trip would never end

Fiona Reaches Resolute

2009-08-05T21:06:00.007-04:00

Fiona arrived in the small Inuit hamlet of Resolute the morning of Tuesday, 4 Aug. In an email from Russ this evening he writes, "We're stuck in Resolute for a while. Eric was kind of thinking about heading south to 'wait it out,' 'it' being the ice melt. Last night's talk with the Enviro Canada pilots and ice experts convinced him otherwise. They said the lower Peel/Franklin won't begin to be

Fiona: Arriving Resolute

2009-08-04T14:57:00.002-04:00

Entry from Russ Roberts' journal: We approach Resolute through 4/10 coverage pack ice at 4AM. There is some confusion where the actual village might lie. We see Fleur Australe anchored near what looks like "the town." But there is also a group of buildings near the jetties mentioned in the pilot book. Eric says, "That one looks like a town" and we anchor near the jetties. Tired, we just

Fiona Anchors at Beechey Island

2009-08-03T22:09:00.008-04:00

On August 2, Russ, Eric, and Joey visited Beechey Island where Sir John Franklin's Expedition wintered over 1845-46. Armed with Fiona's shotgun as a precaution against aggressive polar bears, they visited grave sites of crew members who lost their lives there during Franklin's last Northwest Passage expedition. Position, 74 43N 9150W. Fiona planned to sail to Resolute today, 3 Aug. ~DH~ From

Heading for Erebus and Terror

2009-08-02T20:01:00.000-04:00

Fiona is bound for Erebus and Terror Bay. We should arrive tonight. We will visit the gravesite of Sir John Franklin's first sailors to die on his deadly mission. We will stretch our legs (perhaps while running from a polar bear!). Peel Sound is still closed by ice. So there is no rush to make Resolute, refuel and make a hasty departure. Thus it would be a shame to miss calling on Beechey

Fiona Enters Lancaster Sound

2009-08-01T00:36:00.000-04:00

Fiona sailed from Baffin Bay into Lancaster Sound at 10:30 am 1 August. The water has been calm with enough wind to sail at 5 knots. ETA to Resolute is Monday 3 August. ~DH~

Saving 14 Gallons

2009-07-31T19:54:00.001-04:00

Fiona was sailing at 4:00AM. By 6:00PM the winds died again so we start to motor once more. But, we did get an ice chart for Resolute which is looking good ... and the sail did save us fourteen gallons of diesel. That is fourteen hours more motoring range. I am finding little, or perhaps "no" is more accurate, desire to write or read. I think my whole focus is on "the mission;" successfully

Is There Enough Fuel?

2009-07-30T19:50:00.002-04:00

It's the midnight watch. We are becalmed at 74N/6430W. Time to think. I'm thinking we don't have enough fuel on board for this trip. Right now we'd need 140 gallons to motor to Gjoa Haven. I am thinking this because Resolute is virtually closed and may be completely closed [due to ice] before we could arrive under power. The good news is that we talked to Debs [my sister who has kept the

Motoring Sailing - Again

2009-07-29T20:47:00.001-04:00

The sails aren't a lot of help today. The wind is very light. We tried to get some ice charts today via the Iridium telephone. No joy. I sent an e-mail via SSB to Ocens, the vendor, to see what the problem might be. [They never did repond to our e-mail directed to their customer support department. RR 9/18/09] It is 46 degrees! Summer! I see a lot of little auks on my watch this evening.

Cure for a Squeeky Belt

2009-07-28T20:43:00.002-04:00

We changed a squeeky, rattling engine belt this morning. It powered the alternator and refrigerator compressor. My job was to hold a wrench. There is not much room for more active helping in Fiona's little engine room. The belt changing job took just a little more than an hour. This morning I recall drinking last night's rum, a special concoction Geraldine Danon gave us aboard Fleur Australe

Fiona Crossing Baffin Bay

2009-07-28T19:43:00.000-04:00

Fiona departed Upernavik on 28 July bound for the entrance to Lancaster Sound with an August 1 ETA. Winds have been light resulting in more motoring than sailing. Air temperatures are in the 40'sF and water temperature is 55F. ~DH~

Meeting Fleur Australe

2009-07-27T20:32:00.004-04:00

Today we put on 300 liters of diesel (about 79 gallons). The tanks are now topped off. While in the Pisifik grocery store today I met the captain and crew of Fleur Australe, a French boat which is also attempting the Northwest Passage this year. They are Phillippe Poupon and his wife and crewmate, Geraldine Danon. The had several of their kids in tow. Tonight Phillippe motored his dingy over

Fiona Reaches Upernavik

2009-07-27T20:27:00.006-04:00

Fiona left Sisimiut on 24 July, sailing and motoring north toward Upernavik ("Springtime Place" in Greenlandic). The settlement is so small that everything is within walking distance for the 1,144 residents. Current temp is 44F , with 13 mph winds making the temps feel like 37F. Fiona's blog posted a 29 July ETA for Upernavik so it appears they are a little ahead of schedule. Fuel will be taken

Motor Sailing Toward Upernavik

2009-07-26T19:00:00.002-04:00

It is midnight. The sun does not set tonight. Fiona is at 70 degrees north [latitude]. More than twenty icebergs are in sight. More keep popping up on the horizon. CAVU, though, so we are blessed. I do not like motoring through the icebergs with only the radar as a lookout. It is 40F (again). The seawater temperature is down to 48F. 2:00AM: 'Bergs and growlers in sight all watch. 7:

Underway for Upernavik, Greenland

2009-07-24T16:36:00.000-04:00

Fiona is off Disko Island. This is the birthplace of many of Greenland's largest, most spectacular icebergs due to the many glaciers tucked into the fjords. I got to feeling a bit seasick yesterday. The funky feeling continues today even though the sea is relatively calm. The boat is always moving. Then there is the less than stellar housekeeping standards on board. Both the motion and the

Sisimuit, Greenland

2009-07-23T16:24:00.000-04:00

We are in Sisimuit, Greenland. Fiona pulled in here to avoid continued beating into north winds and to top off the fuel (we need approximately 30 gals). I am in the library now to check the Internet and get new ice charts. It felt good to sleep ten solid hours last night in port. I get the latest Disko Island weather forecast: "Winds northwest at 15 knots. For Saturday through Monday, same.

Fiona Crosses Arctic Circle

2009-07-22T21:06:00.005-04:00

Russ met the Fiona in Nuuk, Greenland on July 17. After spending a few days in harbor Fiona left Nuuk on Monday, July 20. She was under motor power for at least 2 days because of light winds. The latest SPOT Tracking co-ordinates show the Fiona has crossed the Arctic Circle and is in Sisimiut, Greenland, the 2nd largest municipality in Greenland with a population of 5965. It is the northernmost

First Iceberg

2009-07-21T16:16:00.000-04:00

10AM: This morning it is 40F with the sea temperature at 52F. 1st visual (non-radar) iceberg sighted just before noon. After a course change to the north it will pass off the port side. 10PM: we set sail and shut the engine down for the first time since leaving Nuuk. Now close hauled on the port tack. Wx CAVU ["Weather: Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited"]. No fog. Temperature outside is

Leaving Nuuk

2009-07-20T11:57:00.000-04:00