By Paul Homewood

h/t Green Sand

A few weeks ago, a family of six was holed up in Nome, waiting for the ice to clear so that they could attempt to sail to Greenland through the Northwest Passage:

http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Full-sail-on-the-frontier-Family-of-6-prepares-for-long-voyage-through-the-Northwest-Passage-489368941.html

Like so many other attempts in recent years, they did not get very far at all:

http://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/Dogbark 

Their yacht, the Dogbark, barely got beyond Prudhoe Bay, when it was forced to turn back on August 18.

This was their blog post at the time:

Yesterday I received this note from Victor Wejer, one of the men who helps boats navigate the Northwest Passage.

Message received from Canadian Coastguard :

From: “NordReg1 Iqaluit” <iqanordreg@innav.gc.ca>
Subject: 9H9573 – INFO – 08-18-1256 – LR – HEAVIER ICE CONDITIONS
Date: Sat, 18 Aug 2018 13:06:44 +0000
NORDREG IQALUIT 181256UTC AUG 2018

Good morning,
Due to heavier than normal ice concentrations in the Canadian arctic
waters north of 70 degrees, the Canadian Coast Guard, recommends that
pleasure craft do not navigate in the Beaufort Sea, Barrow, Peel Sound,
Franklin Strait and Prince Regent. CCG icebreakers cannot safely escort
pleasure craft. Operators of pleasure craft considering a northwest
passage should also consider the risk of having to winter in a safe
haven in the Arctic, or in the case of an emergency, be evacuated from
beset vessels. Safety of mariners is our primary concern.
REGARDS,
NORDREG CANADA
181256UTC\LR

Then he told me that Franklin Strait has started to refreeze.  Franklin Strait is one of the main bottlenecks that we hoped to traverse to complete the passage to Greenland.  We can’t even get there because the border between Alaska and Canada is blocked, with the only other boat westbound with us stuck in the ice, unable to move forward or retreat.

He painted a wonderful picture of us stuck in Cambridge with Dogbark frozen in and the girls breathing air that freezes right out of your lungs.

We got the hint.

Turning back was a very hard decision. There were some tears, and some group hugs.

The Arctic is not an easy place. But it is stunningly beautiful. And there are many lessons here. As a team, we all learned about a place, a climate, an ocean like no other. We battled winds, and ice.  We worried about polar bears, but never saw more than their prints and their poop.

We flat out loved our experience, the good and the bad.  It snowed, actually accumulating on deck last night. In August.  Nice timing!

We are lucky to have had the chance, with a ton of help and support, to explore a tiny part of it.  Some of us will be back someday, but for now, it is time to leave.

https://saildogbark.com/2018/08/22/dogbark-turns-back/

Great adventure, I have no doubt. But a reminder that the Arctic sea ice is not melting away, as many gullible sailors believe.

The Arctic is still a very dangerous place, and trips like this one would not be possible at all without the benefits of modern technology, GPS, satellite tracking and the assistance of the Canadian Coastguard.