The challenge of crossing the icy Arctic ocean is enormous.
It is true that each mission is unique, but this one has many peculiarities. It is a journey to one of the last parts of the earth where people arrived, but until today remains untouched and unexplored. It is not the thousands of miles we have to travel or the long passes we have to cross, but the extreme low temperatures, the icebergs, the dense fog that often covers everything in these latitudes and you can not even see your bow. Movable ice sheets, which usually cover a large area, are transported quickly by the wind and especially by strong currents with the ability to block the road or trap you for days on a secluded and deserted shore. The danger of polar bears, which descend to the shore in search of food that due to climate change and the melting of ice has become scarce. Sudden weather changes and gusty winds due to the low barometers that are installed almost permanently in these latitudes are the main reasons why the North Seas are considered the most dangerous, while the southern Cape of Greenland is considered the most windy. And of course, the legendary Northwest Passage: one of the most mythical passages on the planet that just fills with awe and anxiety even the most experienced seafarer. Where there is no escape and absolutely no contact. Where, when you take the first step and pass the entrance there is no going back except to reach the end, by crossing the icy ocean. Navigation through the Northwest Passage is difficult, and it's history is associated with shipwrecks and missing persons. For centuries, great sailors like Henry Hudson and James Cook have failed to cross it. Hard weather, thick ice and the invisible dangers, forced many missions to go back. But the mission that turned out to be a tragedy was that of the British officer John Franklin in 1845, whose wrecks of his two ships were found recently. Fuel refueling is also a huge problem, as the small Inuit communities are hundreds of nautical miles apart. We will wander in the highest latitudes, where the strong magnetic fields make the conventional compasses completely unreliable. The challenge of crossing the icy Arctic Ocean is enormous. The end of the world, as it is called, the most unexplored and uncharted region of the planet. Where mother Nature is the absolute ruler.
Navigation in Ice Covered Waters
Icebergs, fog, high winds, severe storms, low humidity and temperature differences make our mission one of the world’s most dangerous shipping areas. Ice is an obstacle to any ship, even for an icebreaker, and ice navigation requires great patience. For example, there are dangers that cannot be predicted or avoided. There are smaller icebergs, called "bergy bits", which are small enough to escape radar and low enough in the water to overlook.
Indigenous Cultures
People established communities and cultures in the Arctic thousands of years ago, and today indigenous Arctic communities face tremendous challenges. We will try to get in touch with locals and especially with local tribes that have lived in the Arctic for centuries, to record their own perspective on the situation, the changes that have taken place and the future through their own eyes. It is quite difficult for these people to trust us and talk about the changes they are experiencing.
Eight Arctic Coastal States
The Arctic region covers parts of eight countries: Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and the United States. Each country has different regulations for transit, licenses and refueling, which will require our utmost attention during the mission.
6 People - 1 Boat
Although the mission team is very experienced, we are all a team with a common goal and we have intimacy with each other, traveling for 12 or 14 hours per day in extreme weather conditions, will bring us all to our limits, testing patience and everyone's personal space.
Through this mission, however, we seek to send a strong message regarding the consequences of global warming. Glaciers and icy oceans are melting, sea levels are rising, forests are dying, and the rest of the species are struggling to survive.
The effects of global warming are evolving at twice the rate for the Arctic and are more visible in polar regions. Ice is melting rapidly due to climate change, causing more and more heat to accumulate in the oceans, accelerating global warming. Through our project you will be able to see how much we "hurt" the Arctic … and the effects of climate change on wildlife as well as the lives of the Eskimos (Inuit), but also how their small communities struggle to maintain their traditional way of life and preserve their culture.
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