History’s first solo-sails through the Northwest Passage occurred just a month-ish ago thanks to melting Arctic ice (e.g., the north pole). Tim Zimmermann, adventure journalist who runs a solid tumblr, wrote about these record-breaking and very dangerous voyages at SailingWorld.com. It’s a mesmerizing article, weaving science, frontiership, history, sailing, videos, and maps.

I’m surprised it’s not getting kicked around more. There are very few frontier adventures left on earth. Sailing the Northwest Passage is was one of them…

(Climate change) explains why sailor Matt Rutherford was able to become the first to solo circumnavigate the Americas, which was a truly epic voyage, on a level with Chichester and Knox-Johnston. 

 

And earlier this month it allowed three sailors to complete the northernmost voyage ever through the Northwest Passage, on a Monsun 31, built by Hallberg-Rassy in 1976, called Belzebub II.

 

Here’s the route Belzebub II went for: (See Map, above…).

timzimmermann:

My latest post at SailingWorld.com takes a look at what global warming is doing to the Northwest Passage, and an extraordinary voyage that resulted.