Position: 55°24.7’N 167°02.2’W Course: 345° Speed: 7.0 kn
What an adventure the past week has been. I really need to start with that, before I can tell you about the beginning of our third Northwest Passage attempt (after two successful ones).
Arriving in Dutch Harbor was amazing. Floris helped by writing two more logbooks, but then things got busy fast! We spent another day out on the water, whale watching and spotting sea otters – which was incredible. But soon, it was time to change crew and get ready for the next big adventure.
Gijs, Jasmijn, Anna, and Russell flew in on the 25th, making our crew nice and big. We got so much done in a short time, and it was lovely to have their new energy on board. Gijs and I had time for our handover, while Anna and Michael went shopping, and Jasmijn, Floris, and Matz took over things downstairs. Russell – back for this amazing voyage – slotted right in, helping Sandrine with sail and line replacements. His last voyage with us was to the Falklands in 2023, so it’s great to have him back for a while.
Then it was time for some of the crew to leave… except a thick fog rolled into the harbor that morning and stayed for days. Dutch Harbor is known for its fog banks – we sailed through one on our way in. The romance of fog quickly faded when it turned out no flights could land or take off if the fog stayed. Day after day, tickets disappeared, waiting lists grew. And it wasn’t just those in Dutch Harbor – two of our guest crew, still in Anchorage, couldn’t fly in either.
On the morning of the 29th, a few crew members managed to get out, but then came the tsunami warning… and even more flights were canceled.
And so, there I was. My handover with Gijs complete. Not part of this Northwest Passage attempt, but ready to go home after 110 days on board… Yet no flight. And no certainty about when one might come. Rumors in the harbor said the fog would last until Friday. Our guest crew in Anchorage wouldn’t have their first chance to fly in until Thursday.
So we made a new plan – like we always do. We adapt, we ride the wave we’re given, and hope it breaks in our favor.
With space on board, I decided the surest way out was to leave with Tecla. So now we’re a crew of six until Nome, where we’ll pick up our two stranded crewmembers. I’ll fly home from there, and all will return to normal.
When the tsunami warning came in, we’d already left the dock. We were in deep water – the safest place to be – and didn’t notice a thing. Dutch Harbor evacuated to higher ground, the airport was cleared, the hotel emptied. Michael was high up on a hill, instead of high in the sky. But the waves on the Aleutian Islands measured no more than 45 cm.
And so began our next great adventure: our third attempt to transit the Northwest Passage – and, for the foreseeable future, our last.
Though we’re still missing two, we already have a wonderful group of sailors on board. Many stories to share, many backgrounds filling the saloon. Spirits are high. We left in fog, but soon sailed out of it and into a scene of breaching, feeding whales. Everyone was on deck, amazed and wide-eyed.
My first two watches with our Czech team have felt like coming home. We sailed together in 2023 from Easter Island to Tahiti. Only one of the team is missing – Tatterman – but we’ll pick him up in Nome.
So far, we’ve seen whales, dolphins, albatrosses, fulmars, tufted puffins, little auks, phalaropes, and terns. What an incredible start to this journey. I’m grateful to be part of it – even if it’s just for a little while.
All is well on board, Jet (and thank you Michal for the pictures!)
