An Attempted Transit of the Northwest Passage

August – September 2018

This was intended to be an Abercrombie & Kent expedition cruise to travel the Northwest Passage from Greenland, through the Canadian High Arctic to Nome, Alaska on board the Le Boreal.  A charter flight carried us from Montreal to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, where we boarded Le Boreal.  For five days we traveled up the west coast of Greenland and made stops at Sisimiut, Ilulisat, Karrat Island, Kullorsuaq, and Meteor Bay visiting Inuit communities, archeological and geological sites.  While our entire trip was north of the Arctic Circle, we made our “Furthest North” at Meteor Bay, 76°N.  We then crossed Baffin Bay to visit the Inuit community of Pond Inlet.  In spite of reports that the ice conditions were more severe than they had been in several years, we sailed north into Lancaster Sound, the historical entrance to the Northwest Passage.  Ice blocked us at the western end of Lancaster Sound and we waited two days until a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker took us into Prince Regent Inlet.  Ice blocked all three routes into or out of Prince Regent Inlet so we sailed back and forth for ten days waiting for the currents and wind to clear our way.  That never happened.  While trapped in Prince Regent Inlet, we made Zodiac excursions and shore landings to visit geological, archeological, and abandoned historical sites.  Unfortunately, the expedition that was supposed to transit the Northwest Passage, became our “Trip to Nowhere”.

Ultimately, another Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker convoyed us back to Lancaster Sound.  When we cleared the ice, we returned to Kangerlussuaq and a charter flight to Chicago.