location: 68’42N 52’52W
Jimmy explains the Arctic Circle to granddaughter Nera
Yesterday we crossed the Arctic Circle, which is regarded by some as the
symbolic gateway to the Northwest Passage. There is, in fact, quite a
controversy over the actual extent of this waterway that links the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Arctic Circle brigade insists that
only those who have crossed the Arctic Circle in both directions can
claim to have completed a transit of the Northwest Passage. Others
prefer to extend this even farther, from Davis Strait in the east to the
Bering Strait in the west From a purely geographical perspective, the
Northwest Passage is limited to the area between Lancaster Sound in the
east and Herschel Island, at the border between Canada and Alaska, in
the west. Whichever version is accepted, everyone will agree that
completing a transit is still a most challenging undertaking.
We have just arrived at Aasiaat, a small town in Disko Bay on
Greenland’s west coast. This is an area that has several glaciers
feeding icebergs into the ocean, and is a spectacular sight. We plan to
make our final preparations here and as soon as we believe that the ice
situation looks reasonably favourable, we may decide to sail across
Baffin Bay to Devon Island, in Lancaster Sound. For me, that is the true
start of the Northwest Passage.
