Sailing West

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 not want to navigate the straits at night.

He reported seeing Hapag-Lloyd Lines' cruise liner "Hanseatic making her passage west to east yesterday in Simpson Straits. Passed within 100 yds. Spoke to them [on VHF Channel 16]. Tooted salutes at each other."


The east to west cruise liner, Bremen, has already safely made the passage from Resolute to south of Gjoa Haven and may pass Fiona before Cambridge Bay.
~DH~

Entry from Russ Roberts' journal 8/21/09:

The Zen of Fiona:  "The 10,000 boats that are not named Fiona are not Fiona."  For some reason this thought arises from Eric's comment about Ocean Watch having kayaks and a swim platform.  Eric prides himself on having a functional vessel, without the slightest hint of "party boat" about it.


This morning breakfast at the Gjoa Haven hotel; eggs, over medium, link sausage, pancakes, toast, OJ and apple juice.  Shared breakfast with crew of Ocean Watch.  I am delighted to see them.  Although she does have a "razzle dazzle" type of paint job, I admire [Capt. Mark] Schrader's boat.  She looks stout and seaworthy.  A 65 foot Bruce Roberts design crafted in steel.

We started for Cambridge Bay at 1215 in the teeth of the wind.  Sailed for about 10 minutes.  Then turned NW into high wind & chop.  Headed to a bay on SW of Koka Lake for the night - it might be 2 nights - until the wind subsides.  Doesn't seem like a lot of progress today.  "I could have eaten dinner at the friggin' hotel, g******it," said David, a man not normally given to profanity.

The three other guys went to shore in the hard dingy.  I stayed aboard to take pictures of it, riding low, making for shore under the power of an ancient Seagull outboard ... and pictures of David at the oars, rowing back, after the Seagull decided to not start.

Fiona Underway to Cambridge Bay

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 Cambridge Bay, thus being the first to link both sides of the Northwest Passage.

"I'm leaving the trip in Cambridge Bay. There's no ice from here to Alaska so the [major] ice challenge of the trip is virtually over. Also, I've completed my own linkage of the Passage, having passed vessels bound from the Pacific. So I can leave with a sense of satisfaction."

On Friday August 21 he wrote: "Aground again [for the second time this trip] yesterday due to winds that piped up at the fueling 'dock' (really just a metal bulkhead set against the shore). Plans for dinner ashore and a long time in the rack, boat talk for 'bed,' something the crew has craved for days, are dashed. We are up with the tide at 11PM to maneuver away to deeper water. Our plan works well (although our execution is rather slap-stick); two anchors and the dingy as tug boat on the bow allow us to kedge, pulling against the wind to point the boat so we can make headway with ship's diesel.

Ocean Watch (one of the vessels making the passage from west to east) pulls in just as we are setting our anchor. I make a casual 'Ocean Watch, welcome to Gjoa Haven' call to them on VHF Channel 16 belying that only minutes before we are all 'thumbs, elbows and left legs' getting situated. Joe Waits says, "China called. They want their fire drill back." I am glad to be at anchor, rather than still performing in the 'midnight circus' getting off the 'dock' (with a bag over my head to hide embarrassment), before Ocean Watch gets in.

"Quite a feeling to meet the eastbounder and know the trip is all but complete. Amundsen must have felt similar though greater seeing the whaler in Dease, 'Vessel in sight!' Will leave noon tomorrow hopefully after brunch with with Capt. Mark Schrader and Ocean Watch crew ashore.

"P.S. No ice AT ALL sighted south of Matty Island. Amazing. No ice AT ALL sighted in my drink for a month. Tragic."

Fiona did leave Gjoa Haven Friday afternoon heading west for Cambridge Bay. Early this morning gale warnings were posted for the area they were traversing and the SPOT locator has shown they are not moving and apparently have taken safe refuge until the winds become more favorable. ~DH~

Fiona Arrives Gjoa Haven

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 story there is. Glassy water. Visibility great today. Egg salad sands for lunch. Advise all well!"

The SPOT tracker sent coordinates at 1:04 PM this afternoon locating Fiona in Gjoa Haven. Congratulations to Fiona and crew on a safe passage through icy Peel Sound, Franklin Strait and Larsen Sound. Hopefully hot showers for all! ~DH~

A moment to reflect upon the ice. When one embarks upon the Northwest Passage, even in years of minimum ice coverage, one has to expect to "get up close and personal" with big hunks and sheets of frozen water. One must accept the possibility that any vessel other than an ice breaker or ice hardened ship could be lost due to damage by ice. Vessel loss or damage must be placed into the "acceptable risk" equation.

My personal emotions on this trip are fueled by the fact that I do not own the vessel I sail upon. I can only feel vicariously what Eric of Fiona, Sprague of Bagan, Jovar of Perithia and the other boat owners are experiencing as the reality of the Northwest Passage begins scraping, gnawing and shrieking against their beloved hulls. Polar ice creates noises only Steven King or Bram Stoker could describe in words! Not knowing what damage may be accruing below the waterline is a mystery I'm sure none of them enjoy.

My primary concern, that feeling I am closest to as a non-owner crewmember, is personal safety for life and limb and the safety of those with me. At no point in the Peel Sound or Franklin Strait, at the points of maximum ice concentration, did I ever fear. The imminent danger of a swim in the Mustang suit due to hull rupture never came close. In the event that our situation had deteriorated and the sad eventuality of sinking did occur, the land was always close. The radios, Epirb and SPOT beacons always functioned and stood by in case they needed to be employed to send a "Mayday." The options for safety aboard and ashore and help if needed always remained open and available. We never exhausted our plans for a safe outcome.

-RR