We’ve been underway for just a couple days now, but it feels like we’ve been a crew for a few weeks already. Everyone is in good spirits and we are having a great time getting to know eachother and learn about how we all came to be at 70° N. Our three hour watches help keep things interesting for everyone and ensure people get more than just a couple hours of sleep. Everyone helps each other out, even if it’s not their turn to be on watch. That’s what makes a great crew, great teamwork!
Today we were greeted with a beautiful sunrise and a view of the Brooks Mountain Range which extend 700 miles east to west through the heart of Alaska’s Arctic region and into Canada’s Yukon Territory. What a view!
As we change watches we grab the wonderful baked goods Shauna has cooked up in this little floating bakery of hers. The smell is intoxicating! Cakes, muffins, cookies, and bread are such a treat they disappear very quickly with the snacky crew!
With all the snacks and amazing food being cooked by everyone on the crew, we gotta stretch it out! Today was nice enough conditions for another lovely boat yoga session. It was so peaceful we had a friendly bird visitor who came took some rest on top of Rusty’s hat (unfortunately no photo), and came to stretch it out on deck with us. Speaking of which, we’ve had two stowaways already (three if you count me!).
What type of bird do you think this is?
The wind has held pretty well for the most part, but the last day we’ve been mostly motorsailing, trying to stay ahead of incoming westerly heavy winds that are forecasted in a few days. We hope to make it to Cambridge by early next week if we don’t end up needing to tuck in before then.
In the meantime, Graeme and the crew have been hard at work with boat projects and route planning. So many options and so many variables that have yet to make themselves clear.
Anyone who knows me, knows I cannot resist any excuse to go aloft (tall ship child syndrome). So after Graeme worked on a couple things, Al offered me a spin up the mast as well. They cut me off at the second spreader, but I was happy. I could’ve stayed and enjoyed the view all day!
We have officially entered Canadian waters today, but unfortunately, we missed the sauna we heard about on Herschel Island since we are trying to make our way through quickly. Can’t see everything and we go where the wind goes!
We did however got to see our first iceberg! While the seas were mostly glass, a large white chunk could be seen protruding from the horizon. As we got closer we confirmed it was an iceberg!
It was such an exciting milestone, everyone came on deck for it and Brian (our resident drone operator) even busted out the drone to capture the magic!
Brian came aboard through Graeme, having met through the outdoor gear industry. Brian works for Overland Journal, a beautifully crafted worldwide magazine that supports vehicle expeditions and adventure travel. Despite being landlocked in Arizona, Brian is no stranger to sailing and grew up sailing small boats and has many nautical miles of racing and cruising with his wife Amy under his belt. Adventure is in his blood!
Landing a drone on a sailboat can be tricky! Don’t worry Brian’s got this.
I wonder how this one lone iceberg got separated from everything else…not another iceberg for miles…in the meantime, I’ll just keep enjoying this sunshine and doing my best to keep you updated!
Great photos and videos! … Keep them coming ….
Steve Burton ….
Love the photos and videos! Man, if that bird couldn’t make it out of the cockpit, I worry about it making it to its next stop. Eeks.
I helped pick the little fella up and he hopped off the stern…I was a little worried for him plopping into the water…he looked so tired! But…it’s where he decided to go!