Saturday, September 21, 2013

S/V TARA departs Tuktoyaktuk to the east knowing the Northwest Passage is blocked with sea ice

S/V TARA in Tuktoyaktuk NWT- Photo credit: M. Hertau/Tara Expeditions


TARA has departed Tuktoyaktuk on the 21st of September 2013, to the east, knowing that the Northwest Passage is blocked with 5/10 to 9/10 sea ice concentration at multiple locations which does not leave another eastern route out of the Arctic unless one or more of these choke-points open before hard freeze-up - DOUBTFUL. TARA are you prepared to spend the next 10 months beset in the ice pack during a long and cold Arctic winter? Pick your ice anchorage with extreme care. 

Roald Amundsen put his wooden ship, the Gjoa, for two Arctic winters into the “finest little harbor in the world”, Gjoa Haven.





TARA was hoping to complete an Arctic circumnavigation in one season... guess that challenge might have to wait else be stretched into a two year voyage. Should record setting voyages be counted as official when icebreaker assistance is required to make the passage? Or maybe they should be boldly noted with "* required icebreaker assistance in McClure Strait"?



 Check back for updates (No, they are not going to attempt to go over Banks Island through McClure Strait as the above graphic suggests.)







6 comments:

EW3 said...

Capt, you are thinking like a mariner.
These guys have a political agenda. Just look at their sponsors. They will get ice breaker support so the cause will not fail.

Evans said...

You may not realize that Tara previously froze in the north pole pack ice for almost 2 years, and accomplished a 'drift across the pole'. So this hull (the very rare) proven capability to freeze into even open ocean pack ice.

Douglas Pohl said...

Sometimes you learn more about a particular organization from situations like this - political agenda? Icebreaker support? Time will tell more of the story.

Don't you think that any mariner using a documented vessel who registers with Canada for a Northwest Passage should receive the same benefits as commercial shipping who registers for the same NW Passage transit?

Douglas Pohl said...

Previous noted - the first picture above of TARA gives you a clue about how to withstand ice compression - build to withstand then deflect the forces down. Note the last picture of the underbody.

EW3 said...

"Don't you think that any mariner using a documented vessel who registers with Canada for a Northwest Passage should receive the same benefits as commercial shipping who registers for the same NW Passage transit?"

Capt, with all due respect, no.
Commercial shipping takes material needs all over the north of Canada. What these people are doing is broadcasting how warm the Arctic is and why it's our fault for emitting CO2 when we breath out.

Douglas Pohl said...

Don't confuse the rhetoric on Climate Change etc with the rights of free passage and Canada's registration requirement for ships over 300GT being required to 'request permission' to transit the Northwest Passage. Canada provides icebreaker service, SAR, harbors of refuge and ice routing services to the registered 'ships'. I think Canada should offer it all to anyone who has a national documented marine vessel which also registers with NORDREG. What I like best is the scheduled daily check-in with NORDREG so there is an improved VTS and improved SAR for ALL MARINERS. SAFETY is dramatically improved with everyone registering.

The Climate Change rhetoric is just a smoke screen for sponsor funding... keep your eye on the safety ball... improving the Northwest Passage for all mariners.

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