Matt McFadyen (from left) and Cam Webb will row and sail through the Northwest Passage this summer aboard this 17 and one half foot boat. They are shown here on Tuesday with Save Our Shores executive director, Laura Kasa, as they leave Santa Cruz for Monterey. (Photos by Tarmo Hannula/Register-Pajaronian)
Amidst overcast and chilly conditions and facing a flat sea, Cam Webb, 37, and Matt McFadyen, 31, both of San Francisco, launched their 17-and-a-half foot Norse rowboat at the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor Wednesday morning, for a training run across the Monterey Bay.
The six-hour trip from Santa Cruz to Monterey was a precursor to a 2,000-plus mile journey the two adventure travelers will take from July 15 to Oct. 15 as they attempt to traverse the Northwest Passage just beyond the Arctic Circle in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
NOTE: THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE IS A SEA ROUTE BETWEEN THE DAVIS STRAIT ATLANTIC ARCTIC CIRCLE AND THE BERING STRAIT PACIFIC ARCTIC CIRCLE. THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE DISTANCE IS ABOUT 5400 MILES DEPENDING ON THE ROUTE.
BTW - THIS POSTING IS ON MAY 10TH - CHECKING THE BTC WEBSITE TODAY - THERE IS NO BLOGGING OR ARCHIVED POSTS FOR APRIL... ONCE AGAIN - IF YOU CANNOT STAY ON TOP OF YOUR OWN WEBSITE - HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HANDLE THE ARCTIC? YOU ARE BEST TO NOT EVEN START DRIVING NORTH... ON THE OTHER HAND MAYBE THE REALITY HAS SUNK IN - NO APRIL ARCHIVES - AT LAST FOR TWO VERY HARD HEADS... HAVE THEY CANCELED THE TRIP? WIVES AND GIRL-FRIENDS PLEASE HAVE A HEART-TO-HEART TALK WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER. NO PRUDENT (EXPERIENCED) MARINER WOULD CHALLENGE ROWING A THOUSAND MILES IN THE ARCTIC IN A 17 FOOT "NEAR OPEN" ROW BOAT - SIZE AND DESIGN DOES MATTER - YOU DO NOT HAVE AN ADEQUATE STORM SHELTER - FIRST RULE OF SURVIVAL IS SHELTER - YOU LOOSE - BEFORE EVEN STARTING. YOU DO NOT NEED TO TAKE THIS FOOLISH RISK! WAKE UP SHIP OF FOOLS!
I JUST LEARNED THIS TEAM IS ALL ABOUT "PEAK TEAMS" - AKA LEADING PEOPLE TO POSITIVE CHANGES... POSITIVE ATTITUDES?, MOTIVATION SPEAKING?, LEADERSHIP?, TEAM BUILDING? AND ? ETC... BOY IS MOTHER NATURE'S ARCTIC GOING TO TEACH YOU BOTH NEW LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCES... I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING ABOUT YOUR REAL WORLD ARCTIC EXPERIENCES.
THAT'S MY OPINION AND I'M STICKING TO IT.
Adventure is just bad planning.
- Roald Amundsen
Throughout the trip, Webb and McFadyen will be raising awareness about the ocean and raising money to support Save Our Shores and the Coastal Watershed Council, two local non-profits working to protect the watersheds in Santa Cruz.
During Wednesday's training exercise, Webb and McFadyen were joined by Laura Kasa, executive director of Save our Shores.
http://www.register-pajaronian.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=14465
WEBSITE: http://www.beyondthecircle.com/
Over 20 years of adventures Cam has climbed, paddled, skied and travelled to all 7 continents. Having worked as an expedition leader, climbing guide, kayak guide and outdoor instructor he has a wealth of wilderness experience.
Today he leverages those lessons learnt in the wilds to deliver global leadership & team development programs, and inspirational keynotes for Peak Teams Group.
He currently calls San Francisco, California home.
For over a decade Matt has been part of and led expeditions to some of the wildest and most spectacular places on earth.
Along the way he has sailed small yachts to Antarctica and ski expeditions in the High Arctic.
Originally hailing from Sydney, Matt is now based in San Francisco, California, where he works as a keynote speaker and facilitator for Peak Teams Group.
THE BOAT 
Our home for the length of this expedition will be 17.5 feet of beauty. Simple and seaworthy, the Norseboat 17.5 is designed with classic lines. Dual sliding rowing seats and a performance sailing rig enable it to be sailed and rowed equally well.
Custom modifications, thanks to Kevin and the team at Norseboat, mean this boat may put up with the rigors of 2000 miles of Arctic wilderness better than Cam & Matt will.
Navigating safely through the ice pack, Arctic storms and polar bear country are just a few of the other challenges Cam and Matt will have to overcome. Follow our blog to see our planning and preparations for dealing with these and a myriad of other challenges along the way.
Cabrio Camping Tent
If you don’t want the bimini option, the cabrio tent zips onto a spare zipper on the aft end of the dodger, goes over an aluminum frame for support, and snaps down to the aft end of the cockpit.
Standard Camping Tent
The standard camping tent zips onto spare zippers on the dodger and the bimini, creating a fully protected cockpit with sleeping area forward and sitting area aft.
THE REST OF THE STORY STARTS BACK IN 2009 WITH TWO ROYAL MARINES CHALLENGING THE ARCTIC... IS THERE A LESSON TO BE LEARNED (AGAIN) FROM THEIR HISTORY? YABETCHA!
Kevin Oliver
Tony Lancashire
Kevin Oliver has been a Royal Marine for nearly twenty years. He trained as a Mountain and Arctic Warfare specialist, spent six winters in Norway and has served operationally in Northern Ireland and Iraq. He has just returned from seven months in Afghanistan.
He started dinghy sailing as a small child while living in Greece. At 19 he was climbing as a pair in the Andes and then descended an Amazonian river on a self-constructed balsa wood raft. Since then he has become a qualified mountaineer and yacht skipper.Kevin's spare time is devoted to renovating an old farmhouse and helping his sons appreciate the outdoors.
Tony Lancashire is starting his fourteenth year in the Royal Marines and during that time he has deployed on operations to Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone and Northern Ireland. He specialised as a Landing Craft Officer which led him to operate small boats in a variety of climates including Arctic Canada and Norway as well as the jungles of West Africa and the Far East. Tony’s principle passion is sailing – anything from dinghies to racing yachts. He will be taking his Company of Marines to Helmand province in Afghanistan early in 2011.
The Expedition began in the summer of 2009 when Kev Oliver and Tony Lancashire departed Inuvik in late July with the intention of traversing the whole passage, in a single season, in their 17ft open Norseboat 'Arctic Mariner'. The choice of boat and their depth of preparations were immediately vindicated as they rode out gale force winds on the first of many sustained open water crossings in their tiny boat. During the course of 42 days in the arctic seas they battled over 1400 nautical miles sailing and rowing through towering swells, thick fog and drifting ice. Cut off by pack ice, at one stage they resorted to hauling the ½ tonne Norseboat across the ice for over ten miles.
After a few months of replacing the pounds lost last summer the two have concluded they have a task to finish and are returning to the arctic this summer (2010) to complete the last 750 nm of the passage through to Pond inlet on the Atlantic coast. Again they will pit themselves against wind, waves, ice and polar bears in their small but robust 17ft boat.
WHY NOT A 21.5' BOAT?
Sure would offer better survival protection... but is the weight to much for two rowers? Likely. How does it sail? Well, but the Arctic wind in not adequate to be relied upon for free navigation. Alternative 2013 solution - petrol engine for motor-sailing.
http://www.norseboat.com/NorseBoat_21.5.html
Previously used Nordic 17.5' boat in the Arctic - http://www.arcticmariner.org/#theBoat
Last blog entry
Location: Resolute Bay
3 September, 2010
Sometimes you wish an experience will go on for ever and never end. This isn't one of those occasions but there is a sense of something missing to be ashore in Resolute, sat in the town inn with no need to worry about wind or tides and little chance of a polar bear joining us for dinner............ Still warm beds and real food fill that hole fairly well.
On the final leg of the the trip we spent long periods surrounded by thick sea fog, but on occasion the veil would part treating us to a rare glimpse of the imposing cliff faces that line Lancaster sound and emphasizing the scale of the geography. The latterly arrived southerly winds held to within ten miles of resolute, then as a final reminder of the arctic's power to confound all forecasts, they dropped away to nothing, leaving us with an energy sapping 12 miles to row through thick fog and pack ice to journeys end. Whilst perhaps not the dramatic picturesque end to our adventure that we might have hoped, the cluttered shore of resolute offered welcome relief from hour after hour crammed into our tiny boat and the little isolated bay from which so many expeditions have departed on arctic adventures makes for a fitting conclusion to our own adventure.
Looking back over the two consecutive summers spent in the arctic, we can reflect on a truly unique experience that will remain with us for the rest of our lives. Together we've faced an almost endless list of challenges ranging from broken tillers and failed electronics to charging bears, impenetrable ice floes and persistently adverse winds. One way or another we've bested each difficulty in turn and managed to sail, row and drag ourselves and our 1/2 tonne, 17ft boat over 2000 miles through some of the most isolated seas anywhere on the Globe. Traveling in such a small boat and without any engine has undoubtedly shaped and enriched the experience immeasurably. Weather and sometimes sheer fatigue have necessitated frequent landfalls, offering us the unique opportunity to walk through strikingly remote landscapes, some of which have never been visited by man. During that time we've had the privilege to watch Musk Ox, Caribou, Beluga Whales and Polar Bears in their natural habitat.
We have now agreed the sale of the boat, the proceeds of which, along with other sponsorship will go to our charity, Toe in the Water. Whilst we were sad to finally pack her up for the last time and put the cover on, we both feel we have had our time in her, and we wish the new owner every success with her in the future. Having lived out of the boat for over ten weeks together Kev and I have developed into an effective self reliant team; our strengths complementing each other neatly, but we could not have got past the start line without the help and encouragement of all of you at home that have supported us throughout the expedition. I cannot overestimate the importance of receiving our daily weather forecast from the Fleet Met team or the eagerness with which we downloaded support messages from the website every evening. You have all played an integral role in completing this adventure and for that you have both mine and Kev's sincerest thanks. Two years from early planning to completion, the Arctic Mariner Expedition is now complete and has more than surpassed our expectations.
WHY NOT A 21.5' BOAT?
Sure would offer better survival protection... but is the weight to much for two rowers? Likely. How does it sail? Well, but the Arctic wind in not adequate to be relied upon for free navigation. Alternative 2013 solution - petrol engine for motor-sailing.
http://www.norseboat.com/NorseBoat_21.5.html
Previously used Nordic 17.5' boat in the Arctic - http://www.arcticmariner.org/#theBoat
Last blog entry
Location: Resolute Bay
3 September, 2010
Sometimes you wish an experience will go on for ever and never end. This isn't one of those occasions but there is a sense of something missing to be ashore in Resolute, sat in the town inn with no need to worry about wind or tides and little chance of a polar bear joining us for dinner............ Still warm beds and real food fill that hole fairly well.
On the final leg of the the trip we spent long periods surrounded by thick sea fog, but on occasion the veil would part treating us to a rare glimpse of the imposing cliff faces that line Lancaster sound and emphasizing the scale of the geography. The latterly arrived southerly winds held to within ten miles of resolute, then as a final reminder of the arctic's power to confound all forecasts, they dropped away to nothing, leaving us with an energy sapping 12 miles to row through thick fog and pack ice to journeys end. Whilst perhaps not the dramatic picturesque end to our adventure that we might have hoped, the cluttered shore of resolute offered welcome relief from hour after hour crammed into our tiny boat and the little isolated bay from which so many expeditions have departed on arctic adventures makes for a fitting conclusion to our own adventure.
Looking back over the two consecutive summers spent in the arctic, we can reflect on a truly unique experience that will remain with us for the rest of our lives. Together we've faced an almost endless list of challenges ranging from broken tillers and failed electronics to charging bears, impenetrable ice floes and persistently adverse winds. One way or another we've bested each difficulty in turn and managed to sail, row and drag ourselves and our 1/2 tonne, 17ft boat over 2000 miles through some of the most isolated seas anywhere on the Globe. Traveling in such a small boat and without any engine has undoubtedly shaped and enriched the experience immeasurably. Weather and sometimes sheer fatigue have necessitated frequent landfalls, offering us the unique opportunity to walk through strikingly remote landscapes, some of which have never been visited by man. During that time we've had the privilege to watch Musk Ox, Caribou, Beluga Whales and Polar Bears in their natural habitat.
We have now agreed the sale of the boat, the proceeds of which, along with other sponsorship will go to our charity, Toe in the Water. Whilst we were sad to finally pack her up for the last time and put the cover on, we both feel we have had our time in her, and we wish the new owner every success with her in the future. Having lived out of the boat for over ten weeks together Kev and I have developed into an effective self reliant team; our strengths complementing each other neatly, but we could not have got past the start line without the help and encouragement of all of you at home that have supported us throughout the expedition. I cannot overestimate the importance of receiving our daily weather forecast from the Fleet Met team or the eagerness with which we downloaded support messages from the website every evening. You have all played an integral role in completing this adventure and for that you have both mine and Kev's sincerest thanks. Two years from early planning to completion, the Arctic Mariner Expedition is now complete and has more than surpassed our expectations.
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