High Latitude Adventure

[westhinder]

Though I did note the NW Passage closed a bit early this year, end Aug/early Sept? - and the Canadian Coastguard, advised, demanded retreat

Jonathan

As far as I’m aware, the NW Passage was not accessible, crucial passages remained blocked or opened so late in the season that it was impossible to complete the passage before it would freeze over again.
I have heard of one boat that was crushed between ice sheets. The crew had to take refuge on the ice and were saved by helicopter from an icebreaker.

 

[seumask]

Sorry to hear a boat crushed.
I was wondering if you had one of these aluminum center boarders if you could successfully winch the boat out onto the ice if you could fashion some form of Slipway? Or is this a overly simplistic idea ?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Sorry to hear a boat crushed.
I was wondering if you had one of these aluminum center boarders if you could successfully winch the boat out onto the ice if you could fashion some form of Slipway? Or is this a overly simplistic idea ?

That's exactly how the Fram endured the ice of the Arctic Ocean during Nansen's journey drifting in the pack ice. She was designed (by Colin Archer) to be a) immensely strong and b) to have a hull form that would rise up out of the ice as pressure built up along the sides. She was perfect for the job, and in fact explored quite a bit of the Canadian Arctic under Otto Sverdrup's command after the Nansen expedition - hence the scattering of Norwegian placenames in the NW part of the Canadian archipelago.

However, it will only work if the vessel can endure sufficient pressure to rise out of the ice under the pressure. The chances of creating a "slipway" using resources that could be carried on a vessel light enough to use such a slip are somewhere south of the chances of winning the lottery! The best bet is to get frozen into bay ice or fast ice - that is, ice that is not in motion because it is held in an embayment or otherwise immobile. Most of the Arctic explorers of the heroic age used this technique, and it works pretty well.

 

[Frank Holden]

We need Frank Holden for this, but Captain Holden and his Westerly Sealord are somewhere in the Straits of Magellan today...

Just pulled into Pto Eden this arvo..... 3 weeks out of Williams..... 5 days 'wait on weather' in Brazo NorOeste, one day of 'interesting' rachas, and one bit of a push to windward in sleet and snow.... apart from that it has been calm or light easterly with lots of sun and lots of motoring.....

All sorts of boats can handle 'high lats'.... look at the Rev Bob Shepton's choice of boat..

Biggest issue for me over the years has been keeping down the condensation.... If you can beat that you are half way there.

On here it has been closed cell (Evo?) foam camping mats glued to the skin and bubble wrap and cling film double glazing on the windows... works good..

And a heater.... you need a heater....

You would be suprised at the variety of boats that go down to the Peninsula from Williams these days....


Ice ? Lots of quite big ice ( up to bergy bit size ) in Canal Wide and near the Amelia Glacier in the last week...

 

[Neeves]

Frank,

Condensation - is there less of an issue with foam cored yachts?

Double glazing - not easy to retrofit, unless its cling film - would acrylic storm boards work, with a 'rubber' seal - assuming the window are not too big.

Jonathan

 

[nortada]

This is why the UK and north Europe is warmer than it should be

Just north of the Gulf Stream there is the Newfoundland Cold Stream.

Result, Lincoln England is on the same latitude as Goose Bay Labrador (well known to the RAF as a staging post) but the climate is totally different and Lake Melville is completely iced up for much of the year.

On a different tack; I hear that the JSASTC is fitting HMSTC Dasher (a Nic 55) to run the Northwest Passage next year.

Possibly Minn might be tagging along with them

 

[Frank Holden]

Frank,

Condensation - is there less of an issue with foam cored yachts?

Double glazing - not easy to retrofit, unless its cling film - would acrylic storm boards work, with a 'rubber' seal - assuming the window are not too big.

Jonathan

Yes I think acrylic on the outside with a seal would work...no reason it wouldn't...

Not sure about foam core.... my decks are balsa core and have never really been an issue.... while inside next to the cockpit ( in the walkthrough to the master's stateroom ) where it is thin grp always was.

Windows are the main condensation issue... alloy framed. Main reason for my insulation elsewhere is to keep heat in... a bit of a futile task when the door is in the roof........

 

[Kukri]

Yes I think acrylic on the outside with a seal would work...no reason it wouldn't...

Not sure about foam core.... my decks are balsa core and have never really been an issue.... while inside next to the cockpit ( in the walkthrough to the master's stateroom ) where it is thin grp always was.

Windows are the main condensation issue... alloy framed. Main reason for my insulation elsewhere is to keep heat in... a bit of a futile task when the door is in the roof........

I think I am going to follow that advice about the windows. In my case chromed bronze surrounds (and one has a little tiny crack and a little tiny deck leak..)

 

[NormanS]

I changed the windows in my deck saloon to double glazed. It made a colossal difference, but of course we still get condensation on the frames. The windows in the aft cabin, one of which is just above my wife's head, , were also bad for condensation. That was completely solved by bubblewrap and thin perspex attached to the outside with clear tape. I insulated other areas, inside lockers etc, using closed cell foam.

 

[Neeves]

When I suggested acrylic storm boards I was thinking of a decent thickness and that the acryilic would over lap the frames underneath (not because I'd thought of condensation on the frames, I'm not that clever!, but because I though the acrylic should seat on the coachroof, with decent rubber, or polymer, seals). Many windows are simply glued today - no frames at all - just a recess in the moulding. Storm boards themselves would also offer some insulation - but you would then live in perpetual gloom.

I did wonder about foam cored construction being a better insulant - the downside would be that many foam cored constructions might be a bit thin in usage of reinforcing. Compromises, compromises.

When we were in Patagonia there was large, modern, glass cat from Tahiti, with no sign of a chimney, huge areas of acrylic windows and the usual monster door from cockpit to saloon. I did wonder how they might haver kept warm.

Jonathan

 

[JumbleDuck]

Please excuse my ignorance, however when a boat is assessed in Yachting Monthly, in regards to High Latitude Adventure.

In YM terms I think they mean "the Bristol Channel".

 

[nortada]

Please excuse my ignorance, however when a boat is assessed in Yachting Monthly, in regards to High Latitude Adventure. What would make this good and bad that is different to offshore passage making, apart from been warm !

In YM terms I think they mean "the Bristol Channel".

Don’t you mean anywhere north of Soton

 

[Frank Holden]

When I suggested acrylic storm boards I was thinking of a decent thickness and that the acryilic would over lap the frames underneath (not because I'd thought of condensation on the frames, I'm not that clever!, but because I though the acrylic should seat on the coachroof, with decent rubber, or polymer, seals). Many windows are simply glued today - no frames at all - just a recess in the moulding. Storm boards themselves would also offer some insulation - but you would then live in perpetual gloom.

I did wonder about foam cored construction being a better insulant - the downside would be that many foam cored constructions might be a bit thin in usage of reinforcing. Compromises, compromises.

When we were in Patagonia there was large, modern, glass cat from Tahiti, with no sign of a chimney, huge areas of acrylic windows and the usual monster door from cockpit to saloon. I did wonder how they might haver kept warm.

Jonathan

passed something like that a week ago going the other way.... no idea who, what, or where from and not huge but I was wondering the same thing.

Further insulation thing... my deck hatches are lewmars and have insect screens.... with them I have simply wrapped the screens in clingfilm.... very effective. Just remember to do all this hatch insulating on a cold dry day with a cold interior...

Back to the OP... I think 'high latitude' is like 'blue water' ... it can mean whatever you want it to mean.... and like 'ice strengthened' ships ... comes in a variety of classes... from a few extra frames and an ice knife to full on icebreaker.

Frinstance.... I do cold, but I don't do heavy ice and I try and avoid storms... maybe that is more a 'me' thing than a boat thing....

 

[Neeves]

Frinstance.... I do cold, but I don't do heavy ice and I try and avoid storms... maybe that is more a 'me' thing than a boat thing....

Sounds quite wise to me! We scurry from storms. And cold is good - as long as there is somewhere warm to retreat to. I maintain it is all a sign of maturity (or I am scared of the skipper).

Jonathan