Resources

NORTHWEST PASSAGE

Sites

National Snow & Ice Data Center: year-round arctic sea ice data analysis and image updates.
National Weather Service Ice Desk (NOAA): Sea Ice Forecasts and Ice Charts for Western Arctic.
U.S. National Ice Center: Arctic and Antarctic ice extent reports, including iceberg plotting for eastern U.S. waters.
Canadian Ice Service: ice conditions in Canadian navigable waters.
Cryosphere Science Research Portal (NASA): current state of sea ice coverage; part of larger arctic research site.
The Cryosphere Today: images, animations, graphs of arctic/antarctic ice conditions (University of Illinois).

Blogs

Northwest Passage 2014: one of several frequently updated, highly informative blogs by Captain Douglas Pohl focusing on news, weather, and other cruiser-relevant information relating to the passage. Captain Pohl’s other excellent blogs, including his own transit of the Northwest Passage in Gray Goose.
Solo Around the Americas: Matt Rutherford’s record voyage, including a solo of the Northwest Passage in a 27 foot Albin Vega, St. Brenden (2011).
A Passage Through Ice: Story of small yacht, Blezebub, on first crossing of Northwest Passage via M’Clure Strait (2012).
Around the Americas: Year-long voyage that included a Northwest Passage transit, all in the 60 foot steel cutter, Ocean Watch (2009)Lead by Captain Marc Schrader, first American to solo the five Capes route around the world and Northwest Passage veteran, David Thoreson, whose first crossing of the arctic route was aboard Roger Swanson’s Cloud Nine two years earlier.
Cruise Through the Northwest Passage: Account of Captain Erick Forsyth’s circumnavigation of North America aboard his 42 foot cutter, Fiona (2009).
Sailing the Northwest Passage: David Thoreson’s account of Roger Swanson’s Cloud Nine on first successful crossing (of three attempts) of Northwest Passage (2007).
Fine Tolerance and the Northwest Passage:  Sailing couple Phil Hogg and LIz Thompson make a difficult transit in a steel boat (2004 – 2006).

Guides

Observers Guide to Sea Ice, NOAA: tutorial of Sea Ice type identification.
Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation Publications
Arctic and Northern Waters, Planning for an Arctic Voyage, Jane Russel, RCC Pilotage Foundation, 2011.
Arctic and Northern Waters, Approaching and Leaving the Arctic, Jane Russel, RCC Pilotage Foundation, 2011.
Arctic and Northern Waters, The Northwest Passage, Andrew Wilkes, PHil Hogg, LIz Thompson, Dermot O’Riordan and Alex Whitworth; Compiled by Jane Russel, RCC Pilotage Foundation 2011.
The 2004 – 2005 Voyage of Fine Tolerance through the North West Passage from Bering Strait to Davis Strait, extracted from PHil Hogg and LIz Thompson, edited by Jane Russel, RCC Pilotage Foundation, 2011.

Books

Amundsen, Roald. The North-West Passage. First published E.P. Dutton & Co, 1908. (ebook)
Balf, Todd. Farthest North. Byliner Originals 2012.
Brown, Stephen R. The Last Viking: the Life of Roald Amundsen. Merloyd Lawrence book, Da Copa Press, 2012.
Cowper, David Scott. The Northwest Passage Solo. Seafarer Books 1993.
Dueck, Cameron. The Northwest Passage: A voyage to the Front Line of Climate Change. Great Plains Publications, 2012.
Nansen, Fridtjof. The First Crossing of Greenland. First Published by Longmans, Green, and Co., 1895. (ebook)

Articles

A Conversation with Roger Swanson, David Schmidt, Sail Magazine, March 28, 2103.
David Scott Cowper: swept away by the ocean life, Neil Tweedie, The Telegraph, August 18, 2009.
French Sailing Family Cozy and iced-in off of Arctic Canada, Eye on the Arctic, Alaska Dispatch, January 13, 2013.
Northwest Passage (2007), Roger Swanson, Cruising World, November 2012.
Northwest Passage Achieved, Roger Swanson and Gaynelle Templin, Sailing Breezes, February 2008.
Northwest Passage Blocked with Ice — Yachts Caught, Douglas Pohl, Sail World, August 29, 2013.
Roger Swanson Realizes Northwest Passage Dream on Third Attempt , Roger Swanson, Sailing Breezes, October 8, 2007 (Note: Articles excerpted from Swanson’s book, Into the Ice re aborted 2005 attempt. No other publication source yet found).
Sailing the Arctic, Nicolas Peissel, Sail Magazine, May 5, 2011.