Gary writes that last year the bay froze around the end of September. "I have to get Arctic Wanderer ready for another fridged winter." Image of expedition website (click to enlarge).
LINKS
|
Gary Ramos: "Two Polish sailboats were here - the Nekton and The Stary - headed to Alaska"
Posted: Sep 25, 2006 03:03 pm EDT
(TheOceans.net/ThePoles.com) Gary Ramos, who spent the past winter “on ice” at Cambridge Bay in his attempt to sail around the North Pole has another iced-up winter ahead of him. In his previous dispatch (Aug 15) Gary reported, "I have until Sept 1st to fix [the engine]. I won’t leave after that as winter is setting in and the sea could start to freeze." The update came Sept 10:
"I recived the last two engine parts and my deadline for leaving is here, so I’ll be spending another winter in Cambridge Bay. This will give me a chance to build my funds back up as the engine ate up a lot."
"And I don’t want to cross the north Atlantic after Oct 1 as the storms increase. Many people are glad I’m staying as they need me to house and dog sit when they go on holiday. Two Polish sailboats were here - the Nekton and The Stary. They are headed to Alaska."
Gary writes that last year the bay froze around the end of September. "I have to get Arctic Wanderer ready for another fridged winter."
Gary Ramos, grandfather of three, has taken on an incredible journey. His goal – to be the first person to circumnavigate the North Pole solo. The Chief Mate and Relief Captain for the University of Alaska, set sail from Seward, Alaska on May 22, 2005, aboard his vessel, the Arctic Wanderer.
After a first stop at Kodiak, Gary headed southeast for False Pass in the Aleutian Islands, where he tied into the Bruin Bay, another boat also heading North. In Barrow, the northern most point of Alaska, Gary saw just how tricky it can be navigating through the maze of ice. “It is very tense going through the ice when you can't see it until it's 100ft away,” Gary reported. “Finally, I'd had enough so I anchored.”
By mid-August Gary had made it to Cambridge Bay where he caught up with the other NW passage boats; Idlewild, Fine Tolerance, and Minke 1. There, Gary settled down for a long winters nap, waiting for the ice to break up, writing a book on the NW Passage, looking for sponsors, repairing the boat and just keeping warm.
Repairing his boat ‘The Arctic Wanderer’ from a dinghy before the ice melted he finally turned off the heater on January 1. The boat sat frozen until June. “I also have to eat my way through all my caned food as it will be bad after it thaws,” he told ExWeb early spring. But now a second round of canned crub is up for Gary.
|
