Northwest Passage update: Still closed

Twitter / Cameron Dueck

We're surrounded by hulking blue icebergs

Crew Log 55 - Booth Island, Canada

The ice chart shows some slight change but nothing really significant. I think we'll be waiting for the next few days.

Fiona Attempts Northwest Passage in 2009: Fiona Reaches Resolute

Eric was kind of thinking about heading south to "wait it out," "it" being the ice melt. Last night's talk with the Enviro Canada pilots and ice experts convinced him otherwise. They said the lower Peel/Franklin won't begin to be passable by regular vessels for "two to three weeks." They have been up here long enough to have a grasp on these things. Unless something interesting develops this may be our turning point. We may be heading back from here in a week or two. We'll see."

Map of one of the choke points

[red=ice]

IJIS Web Site--Sea ice running well above 2007

[Note that the Northwest Passage was closed in 2005 and 2006]

The fabled Northwest Passage remained closed in 2005. Arctic ice recovered a bit in 2006, and both passages remained closed.

[Note that the Northwest Passage was open many times in the years before 2007]

The Northwest Passage was successfully navigated in 1906, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1957, 1969, 1977, 1984, 1988, and 2000 (and probably in other years as well).

Weather forecast for Resolute: Lots of 30s and 40s