The Waiting Game In The Arctic Chill
By Mark Beaumont
Until a few days ago the crew had been amazed at the conditions - mainly clear skies, little wind, relatively warm and making much faster progress than expected.
Rowing Through Sea Ice
Travelling on the Ice Boat in the middle of an ice field Mark highlights the dangers they face on board. Sea ice at the North Pole is melting and Jock Wishart is attempting to row the Arctic. Joining him is cyclist Mark Beaumont, on board the tiny boat to film the audacious attempt.
Apart from the first day leaving Resolute, we had barely seen any ice and spent much of the time rowing in t-shirts. It didn't feel very Arctic! However, that weather and great progress has quickly changed.
We are now at the top end of the Grinnell Peninsula, the winds have swung around to the icy north and progress has slowed due to ice fields and sea fog. We had a real scare a few days ago when we ventured into an ice field that soon trapped us in. Many seemingly open leads of water soon closed up or went nowhere. In 18 hours we made 18 miles progress in a total of 45 miles rowed. Learning our lesson, we used the next day, when we were blocked in, to practise getting the boat onto ice flows.
Beating a retreat from the closing ice, Radarsat-2 image from MDA
Each night we have been pulling ashore, and each morning we consult ice and weather reports to figure out where we can row to. It is a tricky labyrinth of ice to navigate, and we are learning as we go... no-one has tried this before!
The high Canadian Arctic is a breath-takingly barren but beautiful part of the world. Very unspoiled, and we have seen lots of walrus, polar bears and seals. Spirits remain high in the team and we are ahead of schedule, but this waiting game isn't easy on such a cramped boat.
A walrus relaxes on an iceberg
