An Irish sailing expedition sets out for the elusive Northwest Passage today in the wake of forgotten heroes of the Arctic.
Weather permitting, the 50foot Northabout will slip its moorings at Rosmoney pier just outside Westport, Co Mayo, this evening and sail to west Greenland on the first leg of a voyage via Baffin Bay, the Canadian-Alaskan coast and islands, and the Bering Strait to the Pacific.
The expedition is being led by Galway hooker skipper and adventurer Mr Paddy Barry, with skipper Mr Jarlath Cunnane and Everest mountaineer Mr Frank Nugent.
The aim is to navigate the Northwest Passage in two seasons, due to the risk of ice. Marked out with a trail of "bleached bones and lonely cairns", the channel to the Orient was the focus of many expeditions in previous centuries - most notably the lost Franklin expedition of 1845.
Arctic charts record the contribution of many Irishmen. Robert McClure of Wexford was the first person to survive a journey through the frozen passage, which he navigated west to east, partly by sledge, in 1854.
The 7,800-mile voyage will finish in Vancouver, and progress will be determined by the presence of ice, once the vessel reaches the Arctic. Northabout was specially built for polar expeditions in a shed in Knock, Co Mayo, under the supervision of Mr Cunnane.
Designed by a Frenchman, Gilbert Caroff, the Northabout has been fitted with a raised icebreaker bow, an ice-protected rudder and propeller, and a 92horsepower diesel engine.
Mr Paddy Barry, the expedition leader, said yesterday the ice reports for the Arctic were "good so far", but the crew would only know when it was much farther north. "The ice reports come from people who are as conservative as our Department of Finance," he said.
The aim is to get as far north and west as is navigable in the short Arctic season before the seas freeze over again in September.
Much also depends on wind direction. "If the ice breaks, but then we get a northerly wind which pushes it back on us, we are locked in," Mr Barry told The Irish Times.
"It is only in exceptional ice years that vessels can navigate the passage," he explained. "That's why we chose to do it in two seasons. We can leave the boat up there and return to it next year if necessary." He expressed cautious optimism. "We know as much as most modern expeditions, but we aren't as good as Amundsen and the Inuits," he stressed.
The expedition is largely self-financed by the participants, according to Mr Frank Nugent, who is also the official historian for the trip. "We want to raise awareness about a forgotten part of our heritage," he said.
Mr Nugent will join the vessel during the first crew change on July 20th in west Greenland, as will Mr Terry Irvine of Co Antrim; Mr Kevin Cronin of Dublin; Dr Mick Brogan of Kinvara, Co Clare; and film-maker John Murray.
Mr Barry and Mr Cunnane will take the vessel out on the first leg, assisted by Mr Gearoid O Riain, Mr Pat Redmond, Mr Harry Connolly, Mr Cathal de Barra and Mr Eoin Coyle. A naming ceremony is planned at Rosmoney this evening at 5 p.m., and estimated departure is 7 p.m. Progress of the vessel can be followed on the expedition website, www.northabout.com
