I've covered a lot of ocean rowing adventures, including Roz's amazing trans-Pacific row, Katie Spotz's recently finished trans-Atlantic expedition, and Olly Hick's attempt to circumnavigate around Antarctica. Now, we've got another big ocean adventure that is sure to be quite the challenge, not to mention risky and dangerous.
According to ExWeb, French rower Mathieu Bonnier is preparing to row the length of the Northwest Passage, starting in the Atlantic Ocean, traveling west, and eventually ending in the Pacific, while navigating through the treacherous and icy Arctic Ocean. Mathieu will set out from Greenland this summer, and will row as far as he can before the weather turns bad. He'll then wait out the long, dark, and cold Arctic winter, returning in 2011 to finish the rest of the voyage.
Obviously an expedition like this one could not have been contemplated just a few years ago. But with global climate change causing all kinds of odd things to happen, the fabled Northwest Passage has been open for travel the past few years, with a number of ships making the journey. What was once unnavigable thanks to frozen waters and giant blocks of ice, is now open, at least for the summer months, allowing explorers to visit a part of the Earth that was mostly off limits before. Bonnier will take advantage of those conditions to make his row.
Pretty impressive stuff if you ask me. Should be fun to follow along this summer and next.
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