This time the goal was to be the first vessel ever to pass through the
Northwest Passage by the most northerly, most ice-bound route, the
McClure Strait, and quite possibly we might even be the first vessel of
any description to have transited the entire Northwest Passage by this
route. The ice in the strait makes the passage fickle and uncertain. For
most of the year its dense layer of ice is ventured upon solely by polar
bears and seals, and accessed only by the occasional icebreaker. In late
summer, the grip of the ice might weaken enough for the passage to
open up for a few hours. It did in 2011, but only for a matter of hours.
We hoped for the same in 2012.
David’s custom-built 30-ton aluminum, self-righting, all-weather
vessel, Polar Bound, is twelve times the required Lloyd’s specification
and regarded as the strongest surface vessel for her size in the world.
Based on the lines of a lifeboat with lower deck level at her waist mid-
ships, she has an upswept bow, rounded stern with fixed center lad-
der down to the water to facilitate boarding from a dinghy, and has
knife edges at the bow and stern to protect her from ice impact. She has
four watertight bulkheads, is double-hulled in the engine room, and
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