Paddling to the North Pole(?!)
This is incredible – Børge Ousland and Mike Horn are reporting 'several kilometres of open sea' off Cape Arktichesky (the start point for North Pole expeditions setting off from Russia). We found a huge expanse of open water in early March 2004 (and I chose to be helicoptered to the edge of the pack ice) but hearing of similar conditions in January is amazing.
Right now, Børge and Mike are shopping for a boat in Norilsk, which sounds a little sketchy to me.
Today we looked for a large RIB boat. We’re considering paddling from the Cape to the edge of the ice. This alternative does, however, pose some challenges. There is a lot of ice sludge on the leeward side. In order to meet the challenge, the RIB has to be powerful enough to carry us far into that ice sludge, and big enough that we can spend the night on board while the ice freezes around us, thick enough that we can continue onward on foot.
— Filed under Other expeditions