Sailing the NorthWest Passage
Duration : 42 days
Start : Ilulissat / Greenland
Arrival : Nome / Alaska
Price : € 22 000
The Northwest Passage (NWP) is one of the last true adventures on earth. This passage to northern Canada, impassable a few years ago, is beginning to become accessible during the short summer period, between late July and mid-September.
However, this trip is still a real expedition, because the weather conditions are unpredictable, and it is impossible to know in advance whether the passage will be open or not.
So we’ll have to go on an adventure and manage the progression on a day-to-day basis, based on the ice charts and climate data at our disposal.
We will depart from Ilulissat, on the west coast of Greenland, to reach the entrance of the NWP, south of Bylot Island.
We indicate here the main stages of this expedition, which totals 3200 nautical miles, but it should be noted that the precise route and stopovers will be decided on the spot. Many walks are planned, watching out for bears, which are very present in the Canadian Far North region.
Arrival is expected 42 days later in the small town of Nome, Alaska.
We will be in total autonomy during this period. Even if there are small villages along the way, we cannot rely on food or fuel supplies, so we will have to leave with the right supplies.
MARAMA is a ship that is very well suited to this kind of expedition because she offers both security and comfort, with a storage volume that allows us to have this autonomy.
The highlights of the Northwest Passage
- An expedition to the edge of the Earth
- Awesome landscapes, icebergs and ice
- Wildlife discovery, from polar bears to whales
- Meeting inhabitants of the Far North
- A unique human adventure, following the trail of the great explorers
The Phases of the Northwest Passage
Days 1 to 4
Ilulissat to Upernavik – 280 miles
Departure from Ilulissat and navigation around the Issfjord, a huge glacier that produces among the largest icebergs on the planet, then in Disko Bay before heading north towards Upernavik.
Days 5 to 9
Upernavik to Pond Inlet – 390 miles
As soon as the ice allows, we will cross Baffin Bay to reach Pond Inlet, south of Bylot Island. We will then enter Canada, into the territory of Nunavut.
Days 10 to 15
Pond Inlet to Resolute Bay – 340 miles
We will begin the Passage itself, and our progress will depend heavily on the ice. Going back to the northwest of Bylot Island, we will enter Lancaster Sound and head to Beechey Island and Resolute Bay.
Days 16 to 22
Resolute Bay to Cambridge Bay (Ikaluktutiak) – 500 miles
As soon as possible, we will take Peel Sound west of Sommerset Island to head south towards Cambridge Bay on Victoria Island.
If the weather and the ice allow, we can make a detour through Gjoa Haven, going around King William Island,
Also possible stopover in the small village of Taloyoak on the Boothia Peninsula.
Days 23 to 32
Cambridge Bay to Tuktoyaktuk – 740 miles
The route passes through a maze of islands, where we will probably make a few stops, then ending in the Beaufort Sea.
We then enter a new territory of Canada: The Northwest Territory
Days 32 to 36
Tuktoyaktuk to Barrow Point – 440 miles
We will travel along the north coast of the Canadian Territory of the Yukon, to enter the USA, in the state of Alaska.
Days 37 to 42
Barrow Point to Nome – 570 miles
We will take the famous Bering Strait, between Russia and Alaska, to reach Nome.