Waiting for the wind
Published on 29.06.2009 - Emirates NBD Greenland Quest
The trio reckon they still have about thirty days of adventure ahead of them before they reach Qaanaaq. But the wind may decide otherwise. Over the past week, for example, the three men have had to endure five days without so much as a breath of wind to carry them along.
Looking at the map (ours or theirs), it's easy to see that the Emirates NBD Greenland Quest has reached a geographic area that is strategically important for the way the expedition will continue. From where they are at the moment, the men could turn west and make their way quite quickly to Thulé/Qaanaaq. But two factors stand in the way of taking that decision. First, if they were to change course, they would not achieve their aim of completing the longest and total crossing of the island, from south to north. Second, the winds they have at the moment -such as they are- are pushing them more in an easterly direction. Which means they will have to concentrate all of their efforts on reaching JP Kocks fjord at the most northerly tip of the island as soon as possible.
Over the past week, though, they have found it difficult to focus on any of their objectives. For one thing, the winds have pushed the trio further to the east than planned and for another, the wind gods were almost totally conspicuous by their absence between 20th and 25th June. So, what have they achieved? For the time being, they have returned to the tried-and-tested method of progress by hauling their sledges themselves. According to their weather-forecasting adviser, Marc de Keyser, the wind is due to start blowing again in the next few days.
Having analysed the details of the expedition so far, we should note that Adrian Hayes's website continues to take a regular comprehensive look at some of the everyday problems facing us regarding Global Warming and Sustainable Development. On the menu this week, he examined the unchecked consumption of foods that no longer coincide with produce that is available naturally as the seasons pass. On 23rd June, Adrian was explaining that breeding domestic livestock to meet the needs of our excessive consumption of meat remains one of the most serious areas of waste of our planet's resources; and finally, on 28th June, Paulo Reiss Silva wrote about the fact that since 1970, the world's living biodiversity has fallen by 30%. All of which is good food for thought, as it were.
