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blog ARCHIVE May 31, 2009 We have made countless new friends through the project, and all of them push us forward in some way, through their positive criticism, contacts or encouragement. But some of them stand out and are a topic of discussion and source of inspiration for the crew long after our meeting. Ian Hansen, a retired pilot, contacted me via email months ago. He’s been planning his own Northwest Passage voyage for years, but a severe and sudden medical condition sidetracked those plans. When we arrived in Sidney to pull the boat out of the water, he came and visited us on the hard, and he quickly became a special person for the crew. Ian also introduced us to other sailors who have transited the Passage. He and his wife Jo had the crew over to their lovely seaside home for a BBQ, and afterwards he showed us the splendid boat he had bought for his own dream several years ago. She now lies waiting as Ian fights to regain his health and mental strength, his dream of sailing the Arctic refusing to fade. Meeting Ian was important for two reasons. We’ve encountered many sailors, boats and expeditions that are much better funded, prepared and equipped than us. But we want to do it now, even though our resources and experience may be limited in comparison. Ian’s experience confirmed our belief that we must do what we can with what we have today. Don’t wait to chase that dream. Secondly, we were overwhelmed by Ian’s pure joy of living and generosity in sharing that with others. He embodies that spirit of living life as best he can right now, and seeing his big smile again and again was a huge encouragement to us when we were tired of sanding, laying Kevlar or other boat repairs. His sense of humour and excitement cuts through the most tiring, dusty and dirty day in a boat yard. The day after we visited Ian’s home I was walking across the boat yard when I saw a mountain bike barrelling towards me, a helmeted and grinning Ian in the saddle. He pulled up next to me and said with a grin, “I have something to give you.” He pulled out a large wad of cash and stuck it in my hand. Thank you Ian, for the support and for the inspiration. May long your jib draw wind.Cameron May 28, 2009
We had a great dinner tonight with Ian and Jo Hansen, who live in Sidney and are great Artic fans. They introduced us to Ben Gray and his sons, who made it through the passage in 2005. Victoria seems to be full of hopeful Arctic sailors and seasoned veterens, and we feel right at home as one of the former. Cameron May 18, 2009 The expedition crew will be crammed together in a small space for four months, and that will bring some unique challenges. We don’t want to only document the effects of climate change but we also want to monitor what living together onboard does to us over the course of this trip. University of Mainz in Germany is helping us do this. Prior to and after the voyage each of us will undertake a comprehensive personality test. These are the NEO-FFI, POMS and FLZ tests. Then, on a daily basis, we will fill out a small questionnaire and rate our own and our colleagues’ mental and physical state. Once a week we’ll undertake a more comprehensive test to evaluate the different emotions. We expect this trip to require good mental and physical fitness. A decline in either one could not only threaten our success but also our safety. These tests, in addition to providing the university with some valuable data, will also serve as an early alert system for our condition during the journey. Doc Psychologie und die Crew Die Expeditionscrew wird über einen langen Zeitraum auf engstem Raum zusammenleben. Wir wollen nicht nur den Klimawandel dokumentieren sondern wir werden auch uns im Verlauf beobachten. Die Uni Mainz hilft uns dabei. Vor Abreise und nach Ankunft wird jeder der Crewmitglieder einen ausführlichen Persönlichkeitstest absolvieren. Die Tests sind NEO-FFI, POMS und FLZ. Während der Reise füllen wir täglich einen kleinen Fragebogen zu unserer geistigen und körperlichen Verfassung aus und wir bewerten uns selbst und unsere Kollegen. Einmal wöchentlich unterziehen wir uns einem längeren Test, der die verschieden Stimmungen erfasst. Diese Reise erfordert eine gute körperliche und mentale Fitness. Ein Abfall von einem der beiden kann nicht nur die Expedition gefährden, sondern auch unser Sicherheit aufs Spiel setzen. Diese Tests werden nicht nur der Uni Mainz interessante Daten zukommen lassen sondern die Ergebnisse werden u.a Frühwarnsystem für unsere Verfassung auf dieser Reise gelten. Doc May 12, 2009 We’re still waiting for the key annual ice forecast from the Canadian Ice Service, which won't be released until early June. However, scientists are already beginning to put out their various predictions. Here’s something from National Snow and Ice Data Center, and their prediction doesn’t bode well for our sailing plans. Arctic sea ice extent declined quite slowly in April; as a result, total ice extent is now close to the mean extent for the reference period (1979 to 2000). The thin spring ice cover nevertheless remains vulnerable to summer melt. Sea ice extent averaged over the month of April 2009 was 14.58 million square kilometers (5.63 million square miles). This was 710,000 square kilometers (274,000 square miles) above the record low for April in 2007, and 420,000 square kilometers (162,000 square miles) below the 1979 to 2000 average. Compared to previous Aprils, April 2009 is near the middle of the distribution (10th lowest of 31 years). The linear trend indicates that for the month of April, ice extent is declining by 2.8% per decade, an average of 42,400 square kilometers (16,400 square miles) of ice per year. You can see the whole article here.Cameron May 5, 2009 We’ve heard from friends in Hong Kong, LA and Winnipeg that plan be in Victoria for the expedition departure on June 6. Here’s some information for those coming to Victoria for the first time. Transport -- You can fly into Vancouver or Victoria. If you fly into Vancouver the easiest way to get to downtown Victoria is by Pacific Coach, which picks you up from the airport or from downtown, takes you to the ferry, and then into downtown Victoria once you’re on the island at a cost of about CDN$50 per person. The bus drops you off a few blocks away from where the boat will be moored during the last week before launch. www.pacificcoach.com. You can also walk or drive onto the ferry, which provides regular service between a few points on the mainland and Victoria. www.bcferries.com Hotel – The boat will be moved into downtown Victoria for the last week. Before then, it will be in Esquimalt, a suburb of Victoria. I’ve visited a few hotels near the harbours we’ll be using and suggest the following ones. The only hotel within walking distance (15min) of the boat’s current location is Comfort Inn & Suites. Ricky Rai is a front desk manager who knows about our project, and he is offering rooms at $80/night or cabins at $100/night. Call him at 1 250 388 7861 During the last week before departure I’d suggest one of the hotels below. However, since the boat will be downtown Victoria there are countless of lodging options for all price ranges, including some good hostels. Royal Scot Hotel & Suites is right near the harbour. A one bedroom flat with a kitchen, etc, is $115+ per night on a weekly basis, rooms are $90+ a night on a weekly basis. You may be able to get these rates on shorter terms as well. Jill Dowe is the front desk manager 1 250 388 5463 royalscot@royalscot.com Inn at Laurel Point is a10-minute walk from the boat, very good staff, nice rooms, some of which have small kitchens. All the rooms have pull out couch beds included. The hotel has an older and new wing, and prices vary a lot since they have a great variety of rooms. Contact Kyla Rae Wareham kyla-rae.wareham@laurelpoint.com or Krista Sidhu krista.sidhu@laurelpoint.com or call 1 250 414 6716. If you want to splash out and stay at Victoria’s top hotel, check into the Empress. It’s a stone’s throw from the boat and a beautiful historic hotel…and you may be able to see the boat from your window. http://www.fairmont.com/empress/ Hope to see you there! Cameron April 26, 2009 I was honoured to be invited to the Canadian Consulate in Hong Kong last week to accept a letter of good wishes from Gary Doer, the premier of Manitoba, my home province. “The Northwest Passage is not only a majestic and beautiful part of our nation’s landscape, it also holds a powerful place in Canada’s history. It evokes the splendor of our geography, the legacy of exploration and the unrelenting human desire to overcome the challenges of a landscape that has seen so may cultures and peoples pass through it for millennia,” Mr Doer writes in the letter. You can see the whole letter here.
Cameron April 22, 2009 Troy has designed a very cool new feature for our web site. We recently created a Twitter account as another way to communicate with those who want to follow the expedition. If you want follow us on Twitter search for OPEsailing or click on the icon to the right. Now when we write a Twitter update it is also published on the top line of the website homepage ... so anytime you visit our site you'll be able to read the latest news from the team. We expect to be using Twitter a lot, as our tracking device, a D2000 from Blue Sky Network, allows for instant short messaging using the Twitter platform. That means that if you’re following us, and we see a bear or a whale, you’ll know about it before the creature is out of our sight! Cameron April 14, 2009 I will be speaking about the expedition at the Rotary Club of Wanchai’s weekly luncheon this coming Monday. I think it’s open to the public if you book in advance. Date: Monday, 20 April 2009 Cameron April 9, 2009 I recently met a man who is truly doing his bit to change the world. Christian Pilard is the founder and president of the Hong Kong-based Eco-Sys Action Foundation, which teams up with local partners around the world to create long-term environmental conservation and development programmes that suit local needs in the areas of employment, education and health. The foundation is funded largely by Christian’s business activities. Boopy, a small red sparrow, is the central character in all of this, and he acts as an eco-detective and campaigner. His adventures help teach kids important lessons. The Open Passage Expedition is partnering with Eco-Sys because I appreciated Christian’s hands-on approach and his attitudes on making his projects sustainable and integrated with all aspects of life. Work, health and education. I am also attracted to the foundation because it’s small enough that we can play a real role in spreading its message and yet it is large and organised enough to be efficient. Eco-Sys has partnered with similar expeditions in the past, such as those of Stephane Rousson and his pedal-powered airship and a couple who are cycling a tandem bike across Africa. Boopy will be coming to the Arctic with us aboard Silent Sound. His cousin Polly the Parrot was otherwise engaged in warmer climes, so Boopy gets the job. So far, we haven’t found him a bunk, but there are a few ledges in the cabin that should work. We expect him to keep his eyes open and join us in learning about how climate change is affecting communities in the Arctic. And he’ll share in the adventure of the sailing trip, because, after all, what’s grander than a swashbuckling tale of seafaring adventure when you’re a kid? Given the humour and creativity of the crew, I think Boopy should be prepared for some good laughs and a truly enlightening trip. Boopy’s adventures will be retold on the Eco-Sys website during the expedition, and Christian and I are looking at ways to jointly produce an illustrated children’s book at the end of the voyage. The expedition is not raising money for the foundation. The point of all this is to share with children what we’ll be learning on the expedition, and I think Christian, his foundation, and Boopy are great way to do this. Cameron April 5, 2009 We’re very happy to announce that we’ve formed a partnership with Discovery.com, the science, history and technology website. Discovery.com has created a new 3-D digital globe application called Discovery Earth Live to explain climate change to a wide audience and the Open Passage Expedition will be providing the site with content. By layering NASA and NOAA data on the globe, Discovery.com creates a visual representation of the state of the planet. Discovery Earth Live offers various layers of data, stories and images related to earth science, as well as information on expeditions such as ours that are exploring the earth. The Open Passage Expedition will provide blogs, photos and video for the site, and this content will lead readers back to our own website. We are also hoping to profile the gear supplied by some of our sponsors on the Discovery.com website in videos explaining the equipment needed to sail a yacht through the Arctic. Satellite communications in the Arctic are rather limited compared to other parts of the globe. The number of service providers is small, their coverage spotty, and capacity for data small. This means we’ll be sending mostly text, although we have set up a courier system to move video/photos out of the Arctic on a regular and timely basis. Some of that content will find its way to the Discovery.com site. The relationship with Discovery.com adds another aspect to the expedition, furthering our mission to tell the story of climate change in the Arctic in a new, creative and fresh way which reaches a broad audience. Cameron April 3, 2009 Thank you very much to all the people that came to the fundraiser party to support the expedition! It was a great night and it raised HK$31,262.50 (US$4,034.52). That includes the cheque for HK$1,750 that Man Sai Man presented to me at the party. Sai is a good mate of mine for many years who contributed 10% of the money he raised running the Hong Kong Marathon. His main charity for the run was Room To Read. Thank you also to Winnie Lam and Philia Lounge for their generous support, their great venue and excellent staff … you made planning and setting up the party really easy and I hope many of my hard drinking friends will return to your club soon. AKW was spinning some fantastic chilled beats, thanks for creating the great vibe. You may hear some very special Arctic beats from him once I’m back from the expedition … The raffle prizes were a big hit and great fundraiser. Many people trumped up big for raffle tickets to support the project, and it was much appreciated. Stuart Finn and Lisa Lee and their gaggle of screaming friends won the afternoon of sailing aboard Authority, sponsored by DB Marine Services. I’m optimistic that I converted another landlubber into sailor as Michael Logan won the sailing lessons for two sponsored by Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. Adam Kaufman won the swish wine kit and keep an eye out on the Hong Kong Trail for Tom Mitchell wearing the brand new orange backpack he won, sponsored by RC Outfitters. We will soon be posting pictures of the party, generously shot by Derrick Chang, a freelance photographer who offers his services to a lot of charities around town. Cameron April 1, 2009 We’ve found a new first mate! Hanns Bergmann, a highly experience German sailor, has joined the expedition. Hanns replaces Elaine Chua, who had to leave the team for personal reasons. Elaine actually introduced us to Hanns, recommending him based on her own experience of sailing with him. He chose to join the Open Passage Expedition for the opportunity to combine his love of sailing with his scholarly interests. Hanns grew up sailing on the German coast and served in the German navy. He has worked as a skipper and instructor on sailing yachts in all waters from St. Lucia to St. Petersburg, and Sicily to Svalbard. He has also written about sailing, worked in a sail loft and helped raise funding for yacht races. But Hanns brings far more than just his boat skills to the team. He has studied political science and languages in Germany, France, and Russia. His main teaching and research interest has been in cross cultural exchange, and he has been involved with film festivals, art exhibitions and scientific conferences. Hanns makes us a full team again, and we’re now ready to set off. I will be arriving in Victoria at the start of May to prepare for a June 6 departure. Hanns and Tobias will be arriving in mid-May, with Anna shortly later. We still have a lot of work to do. There are funds to raise, equipment to install, routes to plan, research to be done and a million of other small things that can never be found in a “How to Sail the Arctic” handbook, if there is such a thing. We want to thank all of you who expressed concern and helped us look for a new first mate and for the many, many sailors who sent us their applications. It was an incredible support to find out how many people are already following this project and wishing us success. Please keep following us as we prepare to set sail! Cameron March 31, 2009 In case you’ve forgotten, lost your planner or thought you'd stay home and watch telly…our fundraiser party is this Thursday night in Hong Kong. Please come! Place: Philia Lounge, 4 Arbuthnot Road, Central We’ll be selling lucky draw tickets to win sailing lessons, sailboat outings, hiking gear, and wine. This is also a chance to get your mug on our website (over 1,100 unique visitors in March!). There will be photographers lurking about and we've heard Hello! may be sending their man... Please come and support the Open Passage Expedition! The full invitation can be viewed here. Cameron March 29, 2009 We’ve added another shore crew to the expedition. Tricia Schers, and old college friend of mine, has joined as our media relations manager. She has more than 12 years of communications and fundraising experience with government, health and NGO organisations. Her work has taken her from promoting the tourism appeal of a cold Canadian Prairie city (that being Winnipeg) to helping manage an AIDS programme in steamy Suriname. Tricia is currently the regional director of UNICEF for Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Tricia will manage the expedition’s interaction with the media from her base in Winnipeg, Canada as well as from on the ground at the expedition launch in Victoria. Tricia and I became friends at Red River College in Winnipeg, and the first thing I learned about her was that I could break her into fits of giggles just by giving her an odd look in class. I used this method to get her kicked out a few times…but she seems to have done just fine despite the educational disruptions. Now she lives in a fantastic old farmhouse (built by her grandfather) on the banks of the Red River just outside of Winnipeg. If you’ve been watching the news, you’ll know that this means she’s also at ground zero of the big spring flood that now threatens the area…so she may be busy sandbagging even as I post this blog. Tricia has visited me in every city I’ve lived in, and there was never a doubt on who I would ask to help manage media relations for the expedition. At the same time, I bring the unfortunate news that Elaine Chua has been forced to withdraw from the expedition for personal reasons. Elaine was scheduled to by our first mate. We’re now looking for a new first mate, and welcome any suggestions. We need an experienced offshore sailor who is capable of skippering the boat when I’m busy with research work. We are already speaking to a few candidates and I’m confident we’ll be announcing a new member shortly. This means that nearly the entire team has changed since the website was launched in November. This has been a challenge, but it’s all part of the adventure and learning experience. And we’ve dealt with it well, which means we’re all that much better prepared for the challenges that face us at sea. Cameron March 29, 2009 Heute ist Samstag und ich sitze nach einer langen Arbeitswoche am Computer nun wieder am Computer. Endlich habe ich es mal geschafft meinen Freunden eine Email über meine neuen Pläne zu schicken. Es ist schon unglaublich, wie viel Arbeit diese Vorbereitung mit sich bringt und an was man so alles denken muss… Meine Arbeit lässt mir im Augenblick leider kaum Raum dafür, aber ich schaffe es immer mal wieder am Wochenende meine Mails für die Sponsoren zu schreiben. Nächste Woche werde ich wohl mal einen Vormittag frei nehmen und die notwendigen Telefonate erledigen. (Hoffentlich reicht ein Vormittag dafür aus und ich erreiche alle…) Unsere Seglerin Elaine ist aufgrund von gesundheitlichen Problemen leider nicht mehr mit an Bord und wir sind auf der Suche nach einem neuen Crew Mitglied. Hoffentlich werden wir sehr bald jemanden finden. March 27, 2009 Dr Chris Pielou is the scientific adviser to the team, and this is the first of hopefully many Q&As and guest blogs we will offer you from her in the coming months. She is a mathematical ecologist and a former Killam professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, and author of the popular book A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic. She has made more than 20 Arctic trips during her career. Q: How has modernization in Inuit lifestyle affected the way climate change has impacted them? Are they more vulnerable than someone living in a big city? Chris: My immediate answer is “no”. They are far more resourceful and more accustomed to fending for themselves than anyone in a big city. But they may be unable, now, to return to their previous lifestyle if their natural fuel sources are no longer adequate. They used to rely entirely on animal fat, using caribou fat inland, and whale and seal fat along the coast. I don’t know whether the changes in population size of the Inuit who need the fat, and the animals that produce it, has changed since their lives became more “modernized”. If there are too few animals for the people, that spells trouble. Q: What are two things should we look for during the journey, in the context of how climate change is affecting the Arctic and its inhabitants? Chris: First, the state of low shorelines. Melting of permafrost is causing “thaw slumps” or mudslides. On the coast, these amount to land sliding into the sea. With less sea ice than there used to be, and stronger winds, the waves will wash the mud away, erode the beaches and cause much land to vanish. All this in addition to a global rise in sea level which is also in progress and will make matters worse. Secondly, look for ways in which the earlier melting of sea ice in spring, and the later freeze-up in the fall, is affecting people and animals. The timing of seasonal events will change: caribou migration times, birds’ nesting times, the disappearance of ice that used to make it easy to cross inlets or reach islands, and so on. The sequence in which things happen will be altered too, with weird results. Thank-you Chris. March 25, 2009 I’m pleased to welcome Anna Woch to the expedition as our documentary maker. Anna will be aboard the Silent Sound throughout the summer shooting images and stringing together the storyline for the documentary. After a childhood spent in Poland, Anna moved with her family to Montreal, Canada. Sbe is a naturally curious person, studying physics, philosophy and biomedical engineering before discovering her love for film. She has made several award-winning films that have been projected in festivals on all continents. With the help of a grant from Canada Art Council and from Quebec Art Council,she is presently completing a collection of poetic films about time. Her experience includes photography for film and video, sound recording, editing and colour correction. Anna is also a teacher in both art and science. Her first teaching job was in the Lumbini school in Nepal, in mathematics and biology. In the last two years, she has been working for the Wapikoni mobile project, offering film making workshops in the Anishnabe reserve of Lac Simon (Quebec), not far from Val d'or. It is here that her dream of going to the Arctic was born. The lines of responsibility of the documentary remain a bit hazy, but Anna will roughly fill the role of director with myself likely doing some of the writing and producing. You can see some of Anna’s past work here, and I look forward to seeing how she interprets the expedition in her own creative way. I'm also very pleased that Anna is a French speaker. This expands our language capabilities and our potential market. Anna is working hard in Montreal to line up backing for the documentary itself and the equipment needed to make it. Cameron March 22, 2009 I will be on RTHK Radio 3 (HK English language public radio) on Monday morning from around 1000hrs (HK time) for about 30 minutes talking about the expedition. Tune in or listen online. If you're listening online and not sure of the time difference, use this world clock. I will also be speaking at a luncheon at the HK Foreign Correspondents Club on Tuesday, March 24. Contact the FCC if you want to attend. Cameron March 20, 2009 I took a humbling trip down to the Coast Guard base near Victoria’s Ogden point on Monday. There are days when I can kid myself that I’ve got a few sea miles under my belt, seen a storm or two, know how to handle myself at sea. Then there are days when I feel like whimpering and creeping down to the foot of my sleeping bag (I’m living aboard this week) and pretending to be asleep till all this expedition talk blows over. Today was one of the latter, but in the end the fear turned into cautious optimism. Captain David “Duke” Snider is the regional director for the Pacific Region Coast Guard fleet and a part time Arctic ice breaker pilot. In short, he’s a sailing man, and knows the Arctic waters pretty well. And I was there to learn. I was introduced to Captain Duke by Wendell Sanford, Canada’s High Commissioner to Brunei and an old Navy hand formerly the lead lawyer on Canada’s sovereignty claims to the Arctic (that’s another blog coming soon). I met Captain Duke in his office. With a trim grey beard, twinkling eyes and an office full of pictures of ice-breakers and Coast Guard souvenirs, he struck me as the kind of man that read sailing adventure stories as a boy and never got over the romance of the sea even after spending years rescuing men from its icy grip. I told him about my plans and then gave him the opportunity to talk me out of it. He nearly did, but in the end he convinced me I was onto a good thing. Captain Duke’s main message was that the Arctic changes and surprises all the time, and especially when you think you’ve got it figured out. “We’ve had a couple of good years (good ice years, from a sailing perspective), and often that’s followed by a bad year. What happens when you have a few years of melting ice is that the big blocks of multi-year ice in McClure Strait melt, and that’s what has been holding back all that bad pack ice. This can then come rushing into the passage. That’s what got Franklin,” he tells me. Oh dear, I know what happened to Franklin, I thought. Captain Duke then gave me a quick navigational lesson on how to duck and run through Arctic ice, hugging the shallows along the shore to avoid the pack ice, which grounds in about 10m of water. He sketched out the roughest parts of the passage, where to watch for “razor sharp rock piles” and the stretches of water most likely to grab the Silent Sound and refuse to let go. “You have an advantage, and, well, I guess it’s a liability as well. Your vessel is pretty small, so you can hug the shore and escape the pack ice. But, then again, if you get caught, well, you’re in big trouble,” Er…ok, got it. But in the end Captain Duke gave me confidence. I wasn’t the craziest, least prepared Northwest Passage dreamer he’d ever seen, and that was a sort of blessing of sorts. In my mind anyway. “I’ve seen some mad, insane people up there. They’re not prepared, they haven’t registered with the authorities. Our ice breakers can be more than two days away if they need help.” He recounts coming around the a bend in the Northwest Passage and seeing a “27-foot fibreglass sailing boat with a couple and their 3-year old toddler who thought they’d go on a bit of an adventure” along with tales of other poorly prepared sailors. Captain Duke’s advice confirmed some of what I’d already been doing, building several networks of support and contacts. Canadian North, our Arctic airline sponsor, will be an important resource for helping us keep in touch with the communities along the way. They have offered to use their local radio system to announce our arrival in communities along the way. That means they will also know where we are much of the time. Add to that our plans to run a live tracker on this web site, and my registration with Canada’s NordReg and we have a solid system of checks on our safety. “It’s about layers of information and support, that’s what you need to protect yourself,” he advised. “If we have that, we know where to watch for you and we have an idea if you’re having trouble.” Captain Duke has sailed the length of the Northwest Passage twice and plied both ends of the passage countless times, as well as lived in Pond Inlet. He’s the kind of guy I want watching out for our safety. “There’s no reason why you don’t have a reasonable chance, actually a very good chance, of making it through in one season this year. I’ve looked at your web site, you seem to be taking the right steps in preparation.” I was beaming. But then he added a dose of reality. “But don’t forget the Arctic is about variables, nothing can be assumed. And it’s too early to know what the ice will be like this year.” There were other things that Captain Duke said which mean I’ll have to dig deeper for further funds for to buy more communication equipment. And I now realise that my hope of getting into the Beaufort Sea by mid July was optimistic – he doesn’t expect ice breakers to make it in before July 28th. Captain Duke’s men and women will be leaving Victoria on July 8th, a full month after we untie from the dock in Victoria’s inner harbour. However, they will soon overtake us an then lead the way into the Arctic, and after meeting Captain Duke I feel a lot better knowing they’ll be “in the neighbourhood” even if that means the are several days of ice-busting away. Now it’s time to shut down for the night and crawl down to the bottom of my sleeping bag, but mainly because it’s cold in Victoria and the driving sleet outside is tapping against the portals of the Silent Sound as she pulls at her mooring lines. There’s more of this weather to come this summer. Cap’n Cameron March 17, 2009 I’m back aboard the Silent Sound for a week, and Mother Nature has decided it’s time for some conditioning. The weather has been wretched for this time of the year in Canada’s “warmest” city. Temperatures have hovering around freezing highs of around +9C with much of the days spent in cold rain, strong winds and occasional snow flurries . This is what we’ll be sailing through this summer, so I guess it’s time to get used to it. We (Jackie is aboard as well) tend to hide down below with the diesel heater roaring away while keep drinking hot tea. I managed to get the gas-fired water heater working , but it has been pointed out to me that we don’t really have “hot” water, it’s simply no longer so cold that it causes your bones to ache. I’ ve again been reminded how lucky I am to have the friends I do. Norman and Trudi Prelypchan have bent over backwards to help us get around Victoria, and Norman went as far as to hand over the keys to his pick-up truck so we can get around town. Thank you! We also got the chance to go hear Trudi playing in the Victoria Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Theatre, and they’ve had us over for dinner, making this a small vacation as well as an expedition planning trip. The many people that step up to help, show interest in the project or offer an encouraging word continue s to amaze me. Jackie’s auntie Stella helped smooth the handling of our luggage (suitcases full of heavy tools and Silent Sound’s full suit of sails). Jackie’s friends Rosalind and Stewart drove us around Richmond. Chris Klaming, a West Coast photographer, read about the expedition online and dropped by to see the boat. My sister Connie has been working on endless favours I’ve asked of her and Adam and Niki, friends here in Victoria, will help crew the boat on Wednesday when we test the sails. It’s been a busy week, and I still have a lot to do. I have booked a berth in Victoria’s Inner Harbour, smack in front of the Empress Hotel, for the last week before our planned June 6 departure. I finally figured out what the problem with the gas fired water heater is and just had a meeting with Gunter, the man who will be installing Silent Sound’s new radar, chart plotter and satellite commications gear. It was a sobering meeting, seeing what needs to be done and knowing I have yet to find a way to pay for all this. It means I have to renew my effort at finding additional sponsorship and again take a knife to the budget to see what can be abandoned. Cameron March 13, 2009 We've had a very tough time getting sponsorship support for crew airfares and courier services, so we're turning to our many individual supporters for help. Do you have air miles you'd be willing to donate to the expedition? These would be used for getting crew and expedition gear (as excess baggage) into Victoria, and then flying crew home again at the end of the expedition. Tobias is based in Germany, Elaine in Singapore, and I am in Hong Kong, and your air miles would be a great help in getting us to and from the boat. Star Alliance miles are particularly valuable to us as they include Singapore Airlines, Air Canada and Lufthansa – airlines we're likely to fly with for this project. Of course, Asia Miles and One World miles are also a great help. If you have air miles you'd like to contribute to the team please email us at info@OpenPassageExpedition.com with the airline and/or alliance group name and we'll arrange the transfer. Thank you for your support, March 7, 2009 The Open Passage Expedition is three months away from departure. Scary. Exciting. Anticipation. The crunch is on! We have picked June 6 as our target departure date from Victoria, BC, and we’ll do everything we can in the coming months to meet that deadline. We have an entire suite of marine electronics to install by then, a satellite communications system to install, hull to sheath in stainless steel, provisions to buy, sponsors to secure and we’re still looking for that fourth crew member to do the video work. That’s the short “To Do” list. Trust me, I have a much longer list in my hand. So, I better stop tapping away at this blog and get to work! Captain Cameron March 5, 2009 Cameron und ich sind uns 2005 in Südafrika begegnet, dort, wo sich Gnu und Löwe „Gute Nacht“ sagen. Ich wusste nicht, wo ich war und fand einen langhaarigen, bärtigen Mann mit einer Landkarte auf seinem Auto ausgebreitet. Dr Tobias A Dream Cameron and I met 2005 in South Africa. We met in the middle of nowhere and I met a longhaired, bearded dude on the side of the road who had a map spread out on his car. This was the beginning of our friendship. Ever since we have philosophized about dreams and living dreams. In my still very young age I have learned from people who are living their dream or have lived their dreams. With this journey I will be able to live another dream, in a period in which we lose more and more contact with the environment and abstract nature. We want to awaken people. Global warming, which will affect our children and grandchildren much more than us, is happening now. My dream is to build a beautiful world for our children. Dr Tobias March 1, 2009 The Open Passage Expedition has added a very important new team member. Dr. E.C. (Chris) Pielou is joining as our shore-based scientific adviser. She is a mathematical ecologist and a former Killam professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS. Chris has just completed her twelfth book, this one on the evergreen forests of Canada and how they are responding to climate change. She is also the author of what is often described as the bible of Arctic guide books, A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic. It was this book that led me to Chris. The title kept popping up in Artic adventure accounts I was reading, so I bought one for myself. It’s an incredibly interesting book to read, whether or not you are going to the Arctic, and Chris’ drawings are exquisite. I Googled her, and was amused to find out that we were born on the same day of the year, only half a century apart. I was on my way to Victoria to shop for a yacht, so I got in touch and she agreed to meet. Chris has endless yarns of unique adventures to share and learn from. She has made more than 20 Arctic trips in the past 30 years, some as the naturalist on eco-tourism trips, and over the years she has become a keen trekker, rafter and kayaker. She is passionate about environmental and climate change issues, and is not afraid to speak her mind. And she exudes a sense of adventure and confidence that immediately made me feel that this Arctic trip I was planning was not only possible, but the best plan I’d ever had. I’d intended to chat with her for an hour or two, but it was at least four later that I was back in my car with a stack of Arctic books and my head swimming with new information. Chris left an impression, and I was thrilled when she recently agreed to join the team. Chris’ role within the expedition team is to give us advice on what to look for while we sail through the Arctic and to put our observations into scientific context. And we will share that story with you. We are looking forward to posting her views on this blog and publishing some of our Q&A sessions online to give you a better understanding of how climate change is affecting communities in the Arctic. Cameron February 25, 2009 I’m excited to announce the Open Passage Expedition’s newest sponsor. Direct Energy is one of North America’s leading integrated energy companies and a member of the Centrica group of companies. It has more than five million customers spread across Canada, Texas and the north eastern United States, serving them with low and zero carbon power generation. Direct Energy is a funding partner of the Open Passage Expedition. However, what I’m most excited about is that the company is providing the project with carbon offset credits to make this a carbon neutral expedition. Watch for more news on this soon! There’s an interesting twist to this story … Direct Energy came onboard because of Nathan Kroeker, VP of finance at the company. Nathan and I grew up half a mile from each other in Manitoba’s Interlake region and grew up together. It’s a special touch to have a childhood friend get involved in the project. Cameron February 25, 2009 Sometimes you need to hear your ideas expressed in a new way to see the flaws, strengths and methods of putting them into action. There’s been a lot of this in recent days as Tobias, the ship’s doctor and crew on the expedition, has been in Hong Kong for to discuss the project. Tobias is playing a key role in planning the expedition and helping me to sharpen some of its messages and focus. The goal of the Open Passage Expedition is to tell the story of how climate change is affecting Arctic communities. We will use written word, videos, and photos to do this. Scientists play a key role in finding the data and facts which prove the changes are happening, but sometimes that message doesn’t get to people in a way that captures their imagination. That’s what we hope to do. We want to tell this story in a way that engages people who otherwise would not be interested in climate change or the Arctic, and capture their imagination through the storytelling alone. It’s a big task, and we’re still thinking of different ways to do it. We are talking to Discovery.com about ways to link our site with theirs and to contribute content to their site, and I hope to be able to tell you more about this soon. Tobias has brought some fantastic ideas to the project, and we’ve been working with Troy, the team’s designer, to build some of these into the website. We are translating the entire site into German in order to cater to Tobias’ home market and make it more appealing to European sponsors. There will also be more information on our funding progress on the “support us” page, and we hope that will encourage individual supporters to commit funds to the expedition. Tobias helped me rework our budget, and his business mind found a lot of expenses that I hadn’t thought of, so we have to work really hard to raise more sponsorship support. Media attention of the project is slowly building, and you can check on what has been written on the links page of the website. I expect to add a few more articles to that list in the coming week. Cameron February 14, 2009 The Hong Kong heat is coming back, so it’s hard to get my head around planning for an Arctic expedition and thinking about how best to stay warm. I’ve been looking at some average temperature data for the Canadian Arctic and we’ll be lucky to see many +15C days while we’re there. The average temperatures for July are +12C, with August at +10C and September at +2 … so we need to bring our woollies. We’re negotiating a sponsorship deal with a clothing company, so I’m hoping that they’ll keep us warm and dry. We have a new sponsor to tell you about. Mustang Survival is supplying us with harness/lifejackets and immersion suits … both things I hope we don’t need but they’re essential safety gear. Mustang is a Canadian brand, so it feels especially good to have them onboard. For those of you in Hong Kong, make sure you buy your Sunday Morning Post tomorrow as they’re running a story on the expedition. I’m hoping that with some more publicity we’ll find a few more sponsors. It’s been tough going, but we’re slowly gaining traction, and I expect to announce two more partners later this month. Thanks for telling your friends about us! Website traffic is climbing steadily, and we’re on track to have about 600 unique visitors this month if things keep up. Troy has added a lot of great functions lately, including an RSS feed, a link to our Facebook page and PayPal for those who want to contribute to the expedition. I am going to Victoria for the week of March 15 to work on the boat. I’m hoping to give our new sails a test and start installing some of the new electronics. Cameron February 3, 2009 I’ve found that a lot of people in Hong Kong have trouble finding a connection with the Arctic or even imagining where the Northwest Passage is. Well, now I’ve found a bit of history to bring it all home. Kellett Island used to be located just off the shores of Causeway Bay, in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. Rampant land reclamation over the past 150 years means that it is now part of Hong Kong Island, but it remains home to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. The island was named after Sir Henry Kellett (1806-1875), a British naval officer and explorer who was sent to the Arctic to find Sir John Franklin after he, his 128 men and two ships went missing. (There’s more on this on my “Arctic History” page) Kellett’s connection to Hong Kong is that he was second in command aboard HMS Sulphur during the Opium War with China in 1840-41. It wasn’t until 1848 that he was sent to look for Franklin as the captain of HMS Herald. The Silent Sound will actually be following his route through the Bering Strait and across the Chukchi Sea. He turned westward, where he discovered Herald Island and named it after his ship, while we will be turning eastward. Kellett spent three summers in the Arctic but didn’t find Franklin. However, he was sent back to the Arctic in 1852 as second in command on the HMS Resolute, again in search of Franklin and also to aid Robert McClure, who was trapped in the ice during his own Franklin rescue mission. Kellett was commanded to abandon the HMS Resolute when it became ice-bound in Barrow Strait in the winter of 1853-54, even though he argued that the ship was not in trouble. He returned to England that summer, and in the summer of 1855 his ship was found adrift in Baffin Bay and taken to the US for refit before being presented as a gift to Queen Victoria. Kellett was right to resist abandoning his ship. Today, US President Barack Obama can enjoy a unique perspective of this tale as a table built from the HMS Resolute’s oaken beams stands in the White House to commemorate this act of generosity. And now Hong Kong and the Canadian Arctic don’t seem so far apart anymore. Fair Winds, Cameron January 19, 2009 There’s no guarantee that we’re going to find enough open water to make it through the passage in one season. I’ve known that all along, although its something I’ve certainly tried to ignore. Financially, I’m pretty much screwed if I can’t make it through this summer, but there’s no need worrying about things that haven’t happened yet. Gary Ramos, captain of S/V Arctic Wanderer, was the third person in history to sail the passage single-handed by his count. He completed it last year after leaving his boat in Cambridge Bay for a few winters. He says only 122 boats have traversed the Northwest Passage since 1906, and that 38 of those were 100ft or less. Six boats made it through last summer, and I think around 10 made the attempt. I’m not sure if there’s any official database on this, I’d be interested if others have different data. The National Snow and Ice Data Center, an American body, notes an interesting pause in ice growth from December 12-19, which they think may be caused by odd atmospheric pressure patterns combined with unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Barents Sea. However, according to their data the December ice growth was pretty much average. There was 12.53 million square kilometres of ice in December, which is about 1 percent more than 2007 levels and 6 percent below the 1979-2000 average. With 2008 having had the second-least ice in history following 2007, I’m hoping, for my sake, that trend continues. “Heading into 2009, the Arctic sea ice cover is again young and thin; given this set-up, a continuation of well-below-average sea ice extent in 2009 is a near certainty,” the centre says on its web site. Bad news for the globe in general, but, for purely selfish reasons, good news for me at the moment. Canadian Ice Service data isn’t quite as comforting. They are showing pretty rapid ice growth in late November pushing ice levels, which were below mean all summer and early autumn, to mean levels and even above mean. They have not posted December data yet. In the western Arctic, Beaufort Sea and Northwest Passage routes in particular the ice growth seems to have caught up to mean in November, although the eastern Arctic is still lagging behind mean. That doesn’t look good for us, as we will be entering the Arctic from the west. I’ve been planning on leaving Victoria by early-mid June in the hopes of getting to Bering Strait by mid-late July…I wonder if I’m planning on starting too early. However, I’d rather have more time than less, and that will give the crew some nice shake-down cruising up the Inside Passage without too much time pressure. See…my mind is spinning with possible scenarios. No wonder I can’t sleep anymore. Cameron January 18, 2009 Planning this expedition has taught me that confirmation and assuredness are as elusive as wind in the sails. Plans change. Crew get side-tracked by life’s complications, sponsors opt to hoard cash rather than spend it and the grandest of dreams don’t hold up once the math has been done. Open Passage Expedition is undergoing some of its own changes. Most importantly, we have a new crewmember. Dr Elin Folkesson is not able to join the expedition due to a variety of commitments, but Dr Tobias Neuberger is stepping in to become the expedition doctor. I met Tobias on a dry and dusty highway in South Africa in 2004. I had a map and he didn’t, and that was the foundation of our friendship. Since then he has left his medical career for business, which has brought him to Hong Kong on a regular basis. Now he’s wrapping up his business in Turkey and will spend some time in his native Germany before joining the expedition in Canada. I’m excited to have Tobias on board since there’s a lot for all of us to learn, and he’s one of the quickest learners I know. He’s also one of the funniest Germans I know. No, really, he’s very funny. There are other crew changes in the making, but I’ll tell you more about those once I know more. The recession that is flattening entrepreneurial spirit around the globe is making sponsorship pretty difficult. It’s the same story with every pitch. “Sounds like a fantastic idea. Great voyage. I’m sure it will be very interesting. But sorry, we have no funds for sponsorship now.” Or, those that do still stick out their neck and offer their support do so a bit more cautiously than I’d hoped. So, the budget is undergoing some re-configuration. Less new equipment, and all of it of a less costly calibre, will likely be the theme. But, I’m still very thankful for the support I am getting. UK-Halsey is now officially on board, and they’re making new sails for the boat. Jeppesen, a Boeing company, is sponsoring our C-Map electronic charts, and I’m hopeful of adding further names to this list soon. In recent weeks I’ve had the chance to stand up and give a few groups of people a small taste of the constant barrage of optimism, big dreams and endless details that my friends in Hong Kong must put up with daily. I’ve made my pitch at a businessmen’s dinner club, a Green Drinks meeting, and the sustainable development committee of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. I’m now trying to come up with a programme that allows students to interact with the expedition and get involved in the research. No money, but I think an educational programme would add an interesting and awarding angle to the project. Cameron January 4, 2009 I want to go on a bit of a riff on dreams and passion. I like telling people that this expedition began as a dream thought up on the deck of a boat under the blazing sun off the coast of Brazil. Then it stewed and developed for several years through my time in Canada, London and in Hong Kong as I read more about the Arctic and past sailing voyages through the Northwest Passage. Then, one day, I woke up and the dream had become a plan. There were fixed points of reference in the idea, solutions to problems, I had devised steps to carry me up an otherwise very slippery slope. Now the plan is becoming reality. I’ve bought the Silent Sound, I’ve got the crew, this website is a physical sign of the reality of the project. It’s a thrilling process, and more empowering than anything I’ve experienced before. Now, I find myself trying to plant that same dream in the minds of others in order to get the support I need. I will set off on this adventure regardless of what level of support I get from sponsors or creative partners. I’ve planned it in such a way that I can pay for the basic expedition with my own modest resources. I did that for two reasons. Firstly, so that I’d be able to go, regardless of how much support I raise. Secondly, it meant I’d never be able to use the excuse of a lack of support to keep me from pushing ahead. But this project has huge potential for sponsors and creative partners, and I don’t want to see it all left on the table. It has the potential to be something much bigger and better than the expedition I can pay for, and in order for that to happen I have to get others to go through that same process I went through. Dreaming of the adventure, seeing how they can be part of it, and then doing it. Many people have already caught the spirit of it and offered their help, but I still need others to join as well. And I need your help with that. So please keep checking this site for updates, tell others about the project, think of people that might be interested in it, companies that may want to get involved. “Victory awaits him who has everything in order -luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck." Roald Amundsen Cameron December 28, 2008 I’m back home now, regrouping after the Christmas holidays and refocusing on the project. I’m finding that the expedition seems the most real when I’m onboard Silent Sound … Waking up in a frigid boat, huddled in my sleeping bag and watching my breath turn the air white was a good daily reminder of what I was planning to do. I had the diesel heater working well, but running the heater all night seemed unnecessary, and prying yourself from a warm cocoon and into the clammy reality is good motivational practice. Silent Sound is tied up in a beautiful scooped out corner of the Esquimalt Harbour, and it wasn’t unusual to have a harbour seal pop by for a visit while I sat drinking my morning coffee in the cockpit. Fisgard Lighthouse is also visible from the cockpit, a constant reminder that all this is leading up to a grand ocean voyage. There are a few fresh pictures on the site showing where she’s laying. I didn’t get to sail Silent Sound on this trip out. A shortage of time and crew were to blame, mainly, and the purpose of the trip was to get some work done on the boat and figure out what else needed doing. Most of the work was minor, but necessary, such as recharging the refrigerator. I tracked down an aging marine refrigeration technician by asking around a few shops and he agreed to come by and take a look at the fridge. He was a cheery Swiss man that had settled in Canada years earlier, and now puttered around on people’s boats and RVs for a few extra dollars to add to his pension. Within 20 minutes he had my icebox cold again, had checked my system for leaks and given me a quick lesson in maintenance. Another job that needed to get done was measuring the rig for the new mainsail and furling genoa being made by UK Halsey Sailmakers in Hong Kong. Adam Egan, a fellow sailor and very knowledgeable outdoorsman I met last summer, came over on a cold and rainy day to help with the job. I got my harness on and climbed the rig while Adam took measurements on the deck. After a few hours of swaying at the top of the mast in the sputtering rain my hands were stiff and I was soaked through, but we had all the key measurements done. A few days later Adam returned, this time with his wife Niki, and they brought sunny warm weather with them. We rechecked all our measurements and finished the job before tucking into the rum bottle in the cockpit as the afternoon sun slid across the harbour. Bradley Clements, the son of the former owners of the yacht, came by with a friend to have a last look at her. It was interesting to have him onboard and hear some sailing stories from the 11 years he spent growing up on the boat. I also had marine electronics expert come by for a look to give me some advice on what needed to be done to beef up the power system and what kind of navigational gear we could put in. I’m hoping to put in new radar, chart plotter with matching screens above/below decks and new radio…if money allows. We’ll also have to put in a larger alternator to provide the juice that we’ll need for the cameras and computers needed to document the trip. I’ve been feeling pretty overwhelmed by the amount I need to learn about the boat, its maintenance, along with the navigation and sailing demands. Meeting people that have 10 miles at sea to every one of mine and seeing their reaction to my plans is both encouraging and humbling. Normally there’s a low whistle, some hard questions about boat preparation and plans, and then the excitement in their eyes grows as they begin to appreciate the true adventure of this undertaking. I’ve been lucky to meet some great west coast sailors who know the waters and the sailing community well and hearing their confidence in my plan spurs me on. I was returning to the boat one afternoon when I spotted a young man walking down the pier next to the one Silent Sound is on. I’d seen him around a few times, and suspected he was living onboard his yacht, a 30 foot racer/cruiser. I had a quick chat with him over the water, he’d heard about the voyage I was planning, and agreed to rendezvous on his boat later in the evening over a few rums. When I asked Chris if the gates were open to the home behind his dock he told me the easiest way between our docks was along the shore at low tide, so at 2100 I grabbed a bottle and my torch and prepared to walk over. Climbing along the shore wasn’t quite as easy as promised, and as I stumbled along by torchlight I was terrified that I’d slip and break a leg, or even worse, drop my bottle of rum on the rocks. I’d seen a weasel working his way along the shore this way the night before, so I knew it was possible, but I doubted the weasel had the same amount of trouble fitting underneath the boathouse, with its filthy, oiled beams wacking me on the head every time I tried jumping between boulders. After a generous amount of grunting, cursing and heart-stopping balancing acts, I crawled onto their dock, safe and sound, with bottle unbroken. Chris had left for town with his mates, but there was light and noise pouring out of a gleaming 60-foot yacht next to his. It turned out to be Chris’ father Pat, who was giving his new yacht a bow to stern cleaning and servicing. He’d just traded in a Farr 60 for this J/160 and had, together with his wife, sailed her up from California straight into the teeth of an early winter northwesterly. His zealous cleaning made me feel a bit guilty about how grubby Silent Sound was looking. Pat, like so many others living along this coast, came from a sailing family and was proudly passing the tradition onto his own kids, with one daughter working for the Canadian Coast Guard in the Arctic. I left his luxurious cruising yacht an hour later feeling warmed knowing I had such Corinthian neighbours, and humbled by his expertise in boat management. I left Victoria December 12 to come back to my job in Hong Kong. It was hard to leave Silent Sound again after a week onboard, but I have plenty of expedition-related work to keep me thinking about the adventures we’ll be sharing this summer.Cameron December 7, 2008 Much of the adventure of this expedition will be in the planning and preparation, so I'd better start telling the story. November 15 was the official public launch of the Open Passage Expedition, as that was the day this web site went live and we formally announced our intentions. The launch party took place on my rooftop in Hong Kong, with a group of close friends and sailors gathering to mark the occasion. Drew Fellman, expedition filmmaker, was in Hong Kong after a few gruelling months of underwater shooting in Bali for an IMAX project. We had some good informal planning sessions over seafood and beer and were able to further synchronise our dreams and plans for this project. I was also honoured to have two of my brothers, Bryan and Terry, out from Canada to help us celebrate. Just to backtrack a bit … this plan has been hatching since 2004, when I took a year away from my journalism career to sail from Asia to the Caribbean, via the Red Sea and Atlantic Ocean. In July I took a leap of faith and bought Silent Sound, my first yacht, with the sole purpose of using her for this expedition. Since then I've been adding crew to the team, working with Troy on the website and planning the creative side of the expedition with Drew, who is now based in L.A. I must admit, there are moments when the scale, danger and breadth of this undertaking leave me with a dry mouth and sweaty palms, and I wonder just what kind of beast I've created. Yet, it's exciting to see a dream become a plan and then reality, and that process itself builds confidence and momentum. Elin Folkesson, expedition doctor, is still working for MSF in Burma while first mate Elaine Chua is in Singapore, where she is preparing for the VOR stopover. I arrived at the boat last night after what seemed like a marathon drive from my sister Connie Harms' place in Chilliwack, in the Fraser Valley. I spent a few nights there arranging gear, including some new salon cushions. I also did a short presentation on the project at my niece's school. My cousin Tim Dueck drove me and a heap of gear to the island, and the ferry we took had to turn around in the middle of the Strait of Georgia and head back to Vancouver after someone jumped off in an attempted suicide. When we finally arrived at the boat it was dark, the batteries were dead, and I couldn't remember where anything was, or what I'd turned off before leaving her in July. But we finally got things powered up, a heater going to ward off some of the chill, and food put away. A quick trip into town to pick up a sleeping bag, some more food and eat a nice Greek dinner, and we were back on board for a much needed sleep. I love this boat already … the attachment is growing by the day. Right now it's cold and rainy out, and I'm tied up to Greg Sager's private dock. But I've got Billie Holiday and a pot of tea for company, and Greg showed me how to light my diesel heater without blowing up the boat. A good day to relax, take stock, do some reading and writing and try to clear my head after a few tumultuous weeks. I've contacted my friends here in Victoria, and Norman and Trudi Prelypchan have already extended an invitation and offer of transport if needed, continuing the exceptional generosity they displayed in July when I was here buying the boat. I'll be here for a week, doing some refit work, measuring her for new sails and consulting with some potential sponsors and various advisors. I expect the expedition to soon sign two crucial partners, one is a world leading sail maker, and the other is a Canadian airline. Please sign up for email alerts to keep updated (info@openpassageexpedition.com). Seeing other people's excitement over the project only fuels my own belief that we are on the path to success, and their support means more to the expedition members than they will ever know. Fair winds, |
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| © Open Passage Expedition 2009 >> Site designed by Troy Dunkley |
We've been mad busy with getting the Silent Sound ready in recent days. We sailed her up to Sidney on Sunday, had a nice quiet night at anchor. Then on Monday morning we had the engine inspected (all clear, its in great shape) and hauled the boat out in the afternoon at the Canoe Cove Marina. She weighed in at nearly 17 tons...time to go on a diet we think. Some of that may have been the very dirty bottom on her. By 0630hrs on Tuesday we had set up a workshop in the rain and started grinding off the old gel coat. A dirty, itchy job, but we cut back about 16 square meters of the hull, right down to the fiberglass, and got all that done in a day. Then today we laid up a layer of Kevlar, varying from 4 layers thick on the stem to one layer at the beam. We put around 6 layers of resin on top of that. Tomorow we sand, put in filler, and hope to be painting on Friday ... putting on new antifoul, repainting part of the topsides and the new boot line. Lot of work, but my brother Rod and my father are here from Manitoba to help, and we're very thankful for that. Tobias and Hans also installed a new depth sounder and log.
Doreen Steidle, Consul General of Canada to Hong Kong, invited me to tell the consulate staff a little bit about the Open Passage Expedition before presenting Mr Doer’s letter. She has been a very strong supporter of this project for a long time now, and having her cheering us on from Hong Kong is a big encouragement. I’m also looking forward to her support in finding ways to share the story of the journey once I’m back in Hong Kong. We’re also looking at ways to do a live call from the Silent Sound to the Consulate on Canada Day.
