After spending almost two weeks in Sand Point waiting for a weather window that would allow us to continue towards Kodiak we started to consider a plan B. With the boat covered in snow and the memory of the exhausting and dangerous sail from Dutch Harbour fresh in our minds and the advice from the local fishermen to be extremely careful about heading out into the unpredictable weather of the North gulf of Alaska we realized that it would be foolhardy to continue to sail. Therefore we decided that Belzebub would spend the winter in Sand Point! It was a hard decision to make but we both felt that it was the right one. We are now looking forward to take the time to explore the beautiful coast of Alsaka at the right time of the year next summer.
We felt releived about not heading out into the stormy waters again and put all our focus into winterizing Belzebub as well as making some well needed repairs. Ever since we encountered the Arctic ice there had been some vibrations coming from the propeller shaft and we suspected that the prop had hit a piece of ice somewhere along the way. Finally we had the time to dive down to confirm that the propeller was deformed. We tied up to the dock with stabilizing lines from the mast and dried out with the tide. In the dead of night we took the prop off and managed to hammer it back into shape and got the prop back on the shaft. We where pretty happy with the result. After a week we had fully winterized the boat and were ready to leave. Even though we where very happy to return home it was sad to leave the boat that had been our home for almost six months.
It has been an amazing summer and we are very grateful for all the support and feedback that we have received. We would like to thank everyone that has made the expedition possible and everyone that has been following us on our blog and social media. The expedition has exceeded our expectations by far in every way and we are proud to have spread our climate message way further than we had hoped for. We will continue to post videos and summaries on the blog during the winter so please stay tuned!
Your pioneering journey is in the record books. Congratulations!
Thanks for sharing the adventure by blog. You have built a history of the trip that will be an inspiration and example for both armchair and future explorers. Your traverse of the passage is graphic reminder that climate warming is real.
You have earned this recuperation time. Best wishes for your continuing adventures!
Roger
Hi Edvin and Nick,
big fat congratulation !!
So you made it without a diesel-captain (or was it a water-captain). Speaking of captains: how about a milk-captain, didn’t you have some milk trouble also along the way ?
And you didn’t need the china-engine, thank god.
You’ve been really brave, i always got scared when the ice got so close as you became used to.
I may be back in Lewisporte next summer, still doing my armchair sailing and pilot chart studying.
Best wishes for your ongoing trip next year !
Hans
S/V Snowball
You are modern day explorers, and having set the bar this high, I wish you luck in finding your next great adventure. Not everyone could have accomplished what you succeeded in so well.
Cheers to all involved in this endeavor!
Kayll
Nick and Edvin,
Congrats on your expedition!
Enjoy your time off this winter and I look forward to reading about your adventure(s) next summer.
Tim
Nick: I talked with you and Morgan at the Grand Aleutian Hotel in Dutch. I’m glad you decided to winter in Sand Point. We’re passing there now and the weather pattern is typical November (heavy freezing spray, etc.). I’ll look forward to following you next year. Send me an email if you have any questions about the GOA crossing. Good luck!