Got some solid expedition paddling chops? The “2025 North by Northwest Passage Kayak Expedition” is seeking team members.
Led by expedition leaders West Hansen and Jeff Wueste, who in 2023 co-led the first human-powered kayak navigation through the entire Northwest Passage, next summer’s retracing is seeking eligible team members with sea kayaking experience and/or those willing to engage in a training program to prepare for the crossing. The route leads umpteen million paddle strokes from Cape Sherard, Devon Island to Griffiths Point, Prince Patrick Island. The route may be altered, depending on sea ice conditions.
In 2023, in a big, big first for the sea kayaking expedition world, their team dubbed “The Arctic Cowboys” completed the first kayak navigation of the entire, infamous Northwest Passage (NWP) on October 8. Crossing over Cape Bathurst, the four explorers, also including Jeff Wueste, Mark Agnew, and Eileen Visser, ended their arduous journey where the Northwest Passage opens into the Beaufort Sea, the internationally recognized western boundary of the Northwest Passage. The team began their expedition officially when they crossed from Baffin Bay into Lancaster Strait, the internationally recognized eastern boundary. Paddling Seaward Passat G3 tandem kayaks, the team kayaked over over 83 days, beginning July 18, without assistance from sails or any propulsion other than their own paddles, making them the first to navigate the Northwest Passage under their own power—completing the route in a single season.
The team attempted the same route unsuccessfully in 2022, but has to abort the mission due to sea ice and weather. “Due to the diminishing sea ice, drift ice and fast ice, the NWP will soon become the go-to for shipping between Europe and Asia,” says Hansen of the importance of the route. “The route is much shorter, doesn’t have cyclones or hurricanes and there will be no waiting lines or fees, as there are for the Panama Canal. The NWP will quickly become industrialized and I’m glad I got to see it before it is changed by the onset of industry.”
Hansen and West are also the first to paddle the entire Amazon and Volga Rivers from most distant sources to the sea. The dates for the 2025 expedition, pending weather and sea ice conditions, are scheduled for a start form Ottawa to travel to the launch site in late June.
Read Q&A with Hansen on last year’s expedition here:
“Arctic Cowboys” Team Completes First-ever Sea Kayak Navigation of Northwest Passage
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