Slow Slowly West and North (Plus Northwest Passage VIDEO)
September 2, 2019
Days at Sea: 274
Days Since Departure: 338
Noon Position: 69 41N 199 42W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): WxN 4.2
Wind(t/tws): W 5
Sea(t/ft): NE 1
Sky/10ths Cover: Overcast 8 (Squalls with light snow till noon)
Bar(mb): 1019
On-deck Temp(f): 40
Cabin Temp(f): 65
Water Temp(f): 36
Relative Humidity(%): 34
Magnetic Variation: 19.5
Sail: Under power.
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 119
Miles since departure: 34,807
Miles to Tuk: 300
Little to report but progress, slow progress. We are motoring on a flat sea now and at the usual clip, but there is a current here in the Amundsen Gulf of 1 – 2 knots against, so much of the time we are making but 4 knots to the good. Granted, they are an easy 4 knots, except for the impatience of the skipper to be onward.
Snow on deck this morning from nearly stationary squalls ahead. Big, clumpy flakes. Even with 6am temperatures of 36 degrees, the snow hardly lasted a minute.
After the sky cleared, flocks of snow geese headed S and W in long Vs just above the water top. Now and then a grebe going where ever grebes go. Twice Mo scared the pants off a seal as it came up for air.
Gradually, wind is swinging into the NE but is still too light to be useful. Sails are up; they hardly draw. Big Red continues to do all the work, has run for the last 31 hours without a break.
All the NW wind of late has pushed a big chunk of old Arctic ocean ice down and around the Baillie Islands and Cape Bathurst. Thus, my joy at being out of the ice as expressed in the following video may have been premature. The ice is not currently up against the coast, and I think it can be easily avoided by a jog due W at Cape Parry. Tomorrow’s forecast will tell.
This video is about how we got through the last big ice block in Larsen Sound.
From the the looks of the tracker, you’re well and truly in the clear now. Hope that is the case! Amazing journey to follow along with.
Randall, I know the ice must be frightening and frustrating, but is it ever majestically beautiful!!! Thank you for the wonderful video that takes us right there with you and MO. Absolutely magnificent to be able to see this from the comfort of my desk in Fort Lauderdale. And, in case you do not know it, we just missed the bullet of a Cat 5 killer Hurricane Dorian that has left my beloved Bahamas in absolute ruin. Better Ice, you can avoid it, than a hurricane barreling, well with Dorian, slowly heading right for you!
Congratulations on making it to Tuk. Time to refuel you and Mo.