Conquering the Wild West
Published on 19.06.2009 - Emirates NBD Greenland Quest
The trio has reached the imaginary line that divides Greenland into two areas of more or less identical length. But this does not mean that the men are at the halfway point of their trek.
71°45'06" N / 47°00'76" W: we are at day 27 of the adventure and, if Adrian is to be believed, the expedition has reached a point that marks half way up the island (going from South to North, of course).
So far, they have covered 1 441 km and should only have another 1 191 km to go. As the crow flies, that is. Which is what the resident of Dubai points out: having reached this point in no way means that the distance they still have to cover is virtually the same in terms of kilometres. Because the weather forces them to zigzag on their way forward.
In fact, the group is very much at the whim and mercy of the wind. On 12th June, for example, the expedition was faced with a tough dilemma: during the days before, the predominant wind was from the south-east, forcing the trio to go further east than planned.
Yet since they set out, the three men have done everything they can to stay as far to the west of the island as possible so that they do not have to travel at too high an altitude and also to avoid areas that they believe are unsuited to travelling with kites.
So, what should they do? How much further should they allow themselves to drift to the east? Will they have to continue with winds like these for very much longer? Or should they wait for winds that will take them back towards their route on the west of the island?
It's at this juncture of the adventure that Adrian slips into his dispatch: "So it's no coincidence that most of the time we feel like sailors sailing through a frozen ocean..."
On 18th June, they set the record for the greatest distance covered in a single day by the expedition: 185 km.
