Our steps in Greenland
Day 35 - 5 August 2022 - QAANAAQ
This day was very special and frightening at the same time for the crew. They tried to cross to Canada and the North West Passage knowing that the ice concentration was 4 to 6 tenths, which means that 60% of the ocean is ice-covered. Thomas Panagiotopoulos describing the attempt: "After an hour, we entered the thickest fog we have yet encountered. We had to go at 7 knots and were constantly looking at the radar to avoid the ice. Very difficult and frightening sailing. After 3 hours we emerged from the fog and increased speed to 30 knots. We covered 100 miles and another 100 to go to Grise fjord, Canada. Suddenly in front of us, and as far as our eyes could see, the ocean seemed to be frozen. We kept changing course trying to find a passage. But we always fell into inaccessible areas of ice. At one point we found a channel open and entered. We moved forward with heavy hearts as we felt the intense movement of the ice from the strong currents. At some point, we stopped to assess the situation. Even if we managed to find a way out, which seemed very difficult, nobody knew if the situation would get worse down the line. In addition there was a visible danger that the passages behind us would be closed and there was a serious danger of being trapped. We received this feeling to a great extent and it was really scary even to imagine. So we stopped, putting our sanity and safety first, and decided to head back to Qaanaaq. At this point we had enough fuel to go back. But if we went further, we wouldn't have enough fuel to go back.At first we were disappointed, but at the same time proud that we had made about 200 miles in 6/10 ice, in very dense fog, with 0 degrees air temperature and very bitter cold, the highest degree of difficulty for any boat."
Day 36 / 37 - 8 August 2022 - QAANAAQ
Thomas Panagiotopolos, writing about the current status of the mission and their feelings: "Second night in the room that we luckily found in Qaanaaq, and my eyes couldn't close. Maybe, because all the overload of the consecutive sailings is gone. Maybe, because I didn't care about the inspection of the ship's instruments, the strict adherence to our course, I didn't have the stress of the thick fog and constantly finding passages between the ice, the calculation of fuel every hour, the immense insecurity you feel when you are literally in the in the middle of nowhere, with no one to help you if you need it. Alone in the hands of the unpredictable and often emotionless Mother Nature who seems to like to test your strength, physical and above all mental. Every now and then, images of the crotch came to my mind and I shuddered all over. Loneliness in the vast and often frozen ocean is both peaceful for the soul and terrifying for the mind. But I felt wiser than ever. We were slapped hard and many times we felt at the mercy of God. We are nothing more, but small drops in the ocean. Nothing special at all. We will forever be her disciples…
Dismissing all thoughts and concerns, we explored the glaciers and tried to listen to the immense energy that lurked around. You could very strongly collect it in an otherwise incredibly quiet and peaceful harmony.
One look at the video, is enough to convince each of us…"
During our mission there will be a 24-hour monitoring of our route by SmartBoat, which generates a daily report with the routes of our boat. You will be able to see live, where we are with the boat at any time during our journey. You can check in real-time the position of our boat : www.smartboat.info/arctic-live
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