Statistics

In the 120 years since Amundsen first successfully sailed through the North West Passage, only 388 ships have followed him. In 2023 11 ships have sailed through, of which we will be the last, assuming we make it.

All but 4 of those voyages have sailed west from Baffin Bay into Lancaster Sound, then turned south somewhere near Resolute, and then west again near mainland Canada to hug the coast.

The other 4 ships, including our ship last year, took the northerly route by continuing west along Lancaster Sound until they reached the Beaufort Sea.

As we are on an icebreaker with the highest ice class and as we have an ambitious and adventurous captain (that’s him in the extra explaining the satellite ice images to us), we turned north at Resolute with the aim of sailing in the most northerly passage ever around Melville Island.

If you don’t hear from me again, you will know that we shared Franklin’s fate, and I leave you with this morning’s female polar bear who had just gorged on a seal.