Hello Dogbark friends and family!
Your latest SailDogbark update brought to you today by the resident polar bear, Sandy! It’s been 2 years since my last adventure with Dogbark, and while it feels too long to be away, it also feels like it was just the other month.
Most of the 2024 NWP crew reunited in Toronto, Canada to meet Al and Shauna in Sydney, Nova Scotia. It’s a very exciting time and homecoming for those of us who were not able to join the adventures around Newfoundland last year.
I’ve never been to a high school reunion, but this feels like an entirely better version of that. Like no time has passed for us and we can pick up where our last adventure left off. Each of us share a really special journey and even for us trying to piece together the details of our trip can be hazy, so it’s a good thing we have eachother to fill in the blanks!
Five of us arrived just after midnight last night to the quaint airport of Sydney. Just one baggage claim loop that felt like it couldn’t be any bigger than the main cabin of Dogbark, and lots of locals with their dogs waiting. Warm and friendly, just how we like it! Everyone was all smiles despite the long travel day. Our crew gear bags were easy to spot and Al managed to pick us up in a rental car that would hold all 6 of us AND our gear!
Shauna and Al have put in so much work to get Dogbark ready for her sailing season this year, which included clearing out a terrible mold issue (the dehumidifier became unplugged!), repainting the interior, fairing the hull, new bottom paint, a new window for the galley, winch placement adjustments, and probably a whole lot more that I don’t know about. But she is looking shinier than ever, and a newly scrubbed and painted hull means we’ll sail faster right? 🙂
Shauna won’t be joining us for our journey this time, so she left early this morning. She prefers the shorter cruises, but we are so grateful for all her hard work taking care of Dogbark! A quick late night catch up and lots of hugs around before we got some shut eye.
This year’s 2026 Dogbark Expedition Crew:
Graeme Esarey – our adventure captain and co-owner of Dogbark. Graeme and his family sailed Dogbark from the PNW to the Arctic to the South Pacific and back in 2018 and lead the 2024 NWP expedition. Graeme comes from a long lineage of fisherman and has probably spent more time on the water than on land over his life. My preferred titles for Graeme are: Resident Fisherman, Beluga Whisperer, All Knowing Leader & Dreamer of a better, kinder more connected and sustainable world.
What are you looking forward to most on this journey?
“Being here is the goal and I think I am most looking forward to the sail. Labrador Sea and the north Sea. This is a sailboat trip and wildlife is optional. I don’t need icebergs but I will be happy to see them.” – Graeme
Al Hughes – co-adventure captain and co-owner of Dogbark. In addition to a very illustrious sailing career, Al sailed singlehanded and won line honors in three TransPacs in the early 2000s with Dogbark. Al has been Graeme’s sailing mentor, and I love the amazing partnership they’ve created with Dogbark that allows people like us to join the fun! My preferred titles for Al are: Human Encyclopedia, Vault of all Sailing Wisdom, Inventor of ASL (Al’s Signal Language).
What are you looking forward to most on this journey?
“What I’m looking forward to most is getting home. I’m missing Shauna.” – Al
(Leave it to Al to give the best awnser…I’m not crying you’re crying.)
Rusty Lhamon – our 2024 NWP navigation master (AKA weather and ice crystal ball interpreter). Rusty is one of those jack of all trades with plenty of knowledge and skills, and the only person I’ve ever met with as much positivity and enthusiasm as me. In addition to the best love story of all time with his wife Haley, (they are college sweethearts and are each individually badass sailors), tonight we learned Rusty used to be a water skier performer…which honestly doesn’t surprise me at all.
What are you looking forward to most on this journey?
“Seeing new lands and new place, especially the Greenland Fjords and the Iceland Coast. Whales and birds and polar bears would be awesome too. Actually, I don’t need to see anything. Being here is the goal.” – Rusty
Brian McVickers – our resident drone operator and photographer who also completed the 2024 NWP with us. Despite being from landlocked Arizona, Brian brings a multitude of outdoor and adventure skills. Everything from hunting, to climbing to sailing! Plus he makes sure we all stay hydrated.
What are you looking forward to most on this journey?
“I’m just happy to be here. I’m excited to see some BIG icebergs. I’m interested to see the interaction between the Gulf Stream and the east Greenland current. Just being out in it in the ocean.” – Brian
Ted Dodd – our resident bird interpreter, is the newest crew member this year, but plays one of the most important roles, as our medical professional on board. Ted is married to Monica, who Al and I have raced with on Creative and in addition to his medical skills, he holds plenty of mariner skills from cruising with his family. You may recognize Ted from cruising with Shauna and Al last year. Ted also plays in a nameless band (really, they haven’t named it), so I am really looking forward to hearing him play some music! He brought a tenor uke on board and I have a baritone uke, and with Graeme on the spoons, we will for sure to have some fun jams.
What are you looking forward to most on this journey?
“Comrodery and animal kills. I want to see some vicious nature.” – Ted
Then there is me, Sandy Lam, who had the great honor of sailing with this magnificent boat and crew in 2024 for our Northwest Passage adventure. I’m just a jill of all trades racer, turned tallship girlie, turned wooden boat enthusiast, turned adventure cruiser. I’m also a photographer, always looking for an excuse to go aloft, instigator of all dance parties, and always scoping out my next swimming spot.
What are you looking forward to most on this journey?
“Just the opportunity to be here feels like enough, but I am hoping for another arctic swim and maybe some lost narwhals since we didn’t get to see them last time. I’ll also be turning 40 while we’re underway and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by being out on the water for an adventure and the unknown. Also fishing with Graeme and more dancing with Al!”
It’s been a very full day with the crew focused on getting provisions, checking our supplies, safety/medical training, and planning our journey. It’s been a lot of work and the weather is quite warm in Sydney (80 degrees fahrenheit) so we are all looking forward to getting up north!
So where is Dogbark going next?
This year we’ll be sailing from Nova Scotia to Iceland (approximately 1,500 – 1,700nm) and hopefully Greenland inbetween (crossing our fingers they let us in!). We have a great sailing window right now, so we’re hoping to leave Cape Breton tomorrow morning and get to Greenland as fast as possible (hopefully by the beginning of August). Winds are telling us to head along the west side of Newfoundland and into the Labrador Sea. It should be around 1,000nm for us to get to the southern end of Greenland and we’re hoping to explore as much as possible while we can. Hopefully we can end the trip with the total eclipse in Iceland!
So the plan is go north through the icebergs, then hook a right. Pretty straight forward across the North Atlantic right?
Since I was just sailing on a viking ship last week that actually has done the traditional Viking Route from Norway, I’m calling this: The Reverse Viking Route. (Yes, I do know that sailing on a viking ship requires more explanation, but more on that in a later post!).
We’ll see where the winds take this time, and we’re happy to have you here with us! We’ll share more about our route and planning soon.
Serious question: what songs should we add to the Dogbark Dance Party Playlist this time?
Only the few get to go on the roads less traveled. I do envy all of you for your touch of bravery. We’ll be keeping an eye on your journey every day. If we can’t go, we can brag that we know some who did. Who knows, Graeme, you just might see your old skipper Jon here and about.
We couldn’t embark on these journeys without the love and support of those back home. Thank you for being here!
So fun to read the excellent update and bios—thank you very much for returning to Dogbark blogging, Sandy! Bon voyage and best wishes to everyone aboard for an incredible, fun, safe, healthy passage to Greenland and Iceland. Hope to celebrate with you all in the western fjords of Iceland in time for the eclipse!
We wish you were here! I am always so inspired by you as Rusty as individuals and as partners. What a dream team!
Can’t wait to dance with you under the Eclipse!
I very much to being on the trip with you as well!
Welcome aboard! It’ll be an adventure!
Bon voyage, Dogbark!
Welcome aboard! <3 <3
Bon voyage, Dogbark crew! Graeme says Al and Shauna have made Dogbark look better than she has in her whole dang life! Can’t wait to check out the glorious new paint, window, dinghy, etc. Thank you, Shauna and Al, for all your hard work. Labor of love.
One of these days we’ll need to be on board together. We miss you!
We’ll be following from here on “The Lane”. Please have fun and please be safe! ❤️D&R&T&Gma Sue
Glad you are all together and safe. Looking forward to follow along with you. So in your crew lore I did not see the word cook, or chef or even meal planner.
Thanks for joining us! Every crew member is a cook/chef/meal planner. Each watch is responsible for preparing a meal or clean up so we all share the responsibility. It keeps the menu interesting! Everyone has their own twist on some staple meals. Last time I introduced folks to grilled PB & J’s and the magic of daikons to a salad or rice bowl.
Bon Voyage We are joining the adventure from the PNW and wishing you all a greeat trip north and east. Hope to see you in the west fjords of Iceland
Sandy, what a fantastic journey you are having and it was so interesting and inspiring to read about your ongoing adventures 🤩⛵️I am already looking forward to reading more⛵️I envy you in a very positive way 🥰🤩
Nina so glad you are following along! I had so much fun sailing with you. You would have loved the norwegians we met on a week long kayak tour of Greenland. What an adventure!