Trimaran Circles Arctic Basin In One Summer Season - Returns To Bergen Thursday - AFP

[hatrack]

A trimaran sailing boat circled the North Pole in a single summer season, a feat made possible by global warming
and the melting of the Arctic ice cap, the boat's international crew said Thursday.

The "Northern Passage" left the western Norwegian port of Bergen at the end of June and was expected to arrive back there Thursday after first sailing the northern passage off Russia and then the northwestern passage off Canada.

Just a few years ago, the trip would have been impossible to complete so quickly due to the polar ice. Following in the wake of the Russian ship "Peter I," which sailed a similar route at almost the same time, the Norwegian trimaran is the second vessel to ever complete the mythical voyage in the space of a single Arctic summer.

"Less than 10 years ago the first steel-hulled sailboat managed to get through just one of the passages, and 100 years ago, a circumnavigation would have taken six years," the "Northern Passage" crew said in a statement.

EDIT

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Crew_circles_North_Pole_in_one_summer_999.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Their blog is here

http://www.ousland.no/blog/page/4/

They were able to take a route (eg through the Bellot Strait, which was always closed with ice) that the 19th century explorers just couldn't.

Also, the blog of the Russian yacht: http://rusarc.ru/page/3/ (wtih a button for a Goole automatic translation). It seems the Norwegian yacht caught the Russian one up, and they met several times while sailing the North West Passage. The Norwegian one then went faster, so they completed their circumnavigation (ie crossing their own wake) first - the Russians are still in the Faroe Islands.

[OnlinePoker]

2. I would be more impressed if they did it with the same restrictions as they had in the 19th century.

No satellites to tell them where the ice is. No radios or GPS. Just out there on the high seas with their own skills to guide them.

[Nihil]

3. You mean like having some ice in the way? (n/t)

:wtf:

[hatrack]

4. What would REALLY be cool would be if they did it blindfolded, or in leg irons!

Better yet, if they did it floating on a log, and had to paddle with their hands!

[Dead_Parrot]

5. If they did it on a log WITH ice in the way...

...it would be a sledge.