In the summer of 2006, I was on voyage filled with irony. I was on an expedition that was scheduled to complete the 102nd crossing of the fabled Northwest Passage from Russia to Resolute, in the Canadian Arctic.

We were travelling on a Russian icebreaker and in this era of global warming, my main worry was whether we would, in fact, see any ice. But just two days into the voyage, the massive icebreaker, met its match. The 24000 hp engines were shut down and the icemaster's words sent icicles down my spine as he summed up our predicament: "Now only nature can help this ship." We were adrift in a passage that has claimed many lives and ships. We were, to use an old fashioned word, "Beset." After seven long days of little or no progress, time and tide were finally on our side and the ice released our ship from its grasp.
We were freed to proceed on the next part of the adventure.
Now sailing in relatively smooth conditions, we traversed the top of Canada stopping in communities like Cambridge Bay, Cape Dorset, Pangnirtung, and Pond Inlet, ending, as planned, in Resolute.
Memorable moments included sailing through the narrow passage of the Bellot Strait and flying on the ship's helicopters over the majestic fjords of Baffin Island.

We made it through the historic North West Passage, but we learned first hand, that nature still writes the Arctic itinerary.
(Read the story of this journey in "Articles")