Going East
Published on 12.08.2009 - Arctic Calling
Slowly but surely, the Brittany sailboat Baloum Gwen pursues its progression to the East, despite the headwind and dangerous ice cover.
Since they have left the small hamlets of Kaktovik and Tuk, and the island of Herschel where they docked for 24 hours, the Baloum Gwen sailors have been very worried about the ice situation in the Golf of Amundsen. According to the weather forecast a nearby Canadian icebreaker– the Sir Wilfried Laurier - sends in regularly, ice cover in the area is over 80%.
On August 7, the skipper Thierry wrote: "End of July 2009, ice cover in the Golf of Amundsen was 10/10– 100% coverage. On August 3 2009, 4/10, with more coverage in certain places depending on the area. Today, due to the Northern and Northwestern winds which have been blowing for the past few hours (forecasts range between 15 knots and 25 knots in the Golf of Amundsen, and over 30 in the Dolphin & Union Strait), the pack-ice in the golf seems to be turning more compact again, with ice coverage ranging from 30 to 80%, depending on the region... It is thus impossible for us to reach Cambridge Bay today. We may move closer to the pack-ice and then decide on what to do..."
The latest news received on August 10 said the Brittany sailboat was heading for Pierce Point. The team was very warmly welcomed in Paulatuk where they had made a stop-over along the way.
