Heroic Hudson Makes Northwest Passage!

Subject: RE: Heroic Hudson Makes Northwest Passage!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Jan 12 - 08:26 PM

Is there any way to read that blog chronologically forwards?

Subject: RE: Heroic Hudson Makes Northwest Passage!
From: Amos
Date: 05 Jan 12 - 04:46 PM

Richard completed the passage across the bay of Alaska to the Inside Passage just north of British Columbia.

He will be going to New York to do a presentation to his old sailing friends at Meetup.

If any New York area Catters are interested in his story you can get the details here and he'll be glad to meet you.

Regards,

A

Subject: RE: Heroic Hudson Makes Northwest Passage!
From: Amos
Date: 25 Sep 11 - 07:52 PM

Richard has made it down the Bering straits and is about 200 miles north of Dutch Harbor where the ALskan Peninsula breaks into the Aleutian Islands.

Huzzah for him. A bold adventure, still in progress but nearing a safe ending. Fingers are crossed.


A

Subject: RE: Heroic Hudson Makes Northwest Passage!
From: Amos
Date: 06 Sep 11 - 12:49 PM

HE mentioned that there is a typical highpressure area over Greenland which maintains a decent weather forecast through August/September. But he did say there was less snow in evidence than he had expected, even though there were plenty of bergie bits and a few icebergs to dodge.

There has been a recent flap in Greenland caused by a bid from a giant Japanese conglomerate to buy the northern end of the island and build a golf course resort there, in anticipation of the changing climate attracting business there.

I did send the text of the chorus to Stan's song to Richard's blog, and he greatly appreciated it, not having heard the song before.


A

Subject: RE: Heroic Hudson Makes Northwest Passage!
From: EBarnacle
Date: 06 Sep 11 - 12:40 PM

The wars between England and France in the 17th and 18th centuries with their various Indian [native American, not Sepoy] allies.

Subject: RE: Heroic Hudson Makes Northwest Passage!
From: Crowhugger
Date: 06 Sep 11 - 12:15 PM

Wow that is both cool and scary. There's not much true wildness left to explore on earth, at least above water, so most modern day questers are stuck doing (un-)reality TV chases. This Hudson guy is a oner!

I look forward to reports as to whether the crew sang the appropriate Stan Rogers' song during the trip, and whether they reworked the verse about prairie driving to something more here-and-now.

Two things concern me following this historic achievement. One is that with enough melting to make the seas passable, I expect that a greater than normal proportion of polar bear cubs are dying unless, probably most whose parents didn't figure out how to adapt to land; this putting the species is at risk. And when any link in the ecosystem, particularly a singular top predator, is at risk, the ecosystem is at risk. Of course this is nothing to do with Mr. Hudson, it's only the fact that he could make the trip that alerts me to problems.

The other is that Hudson's ability to make the trip indicates the start of a new era in geo-political unrest as powers (business and political) jockey for control of natural resources in the area. Now that one cannot make the passage witha dogsled or skidoo, and now that doesn't need a submarine at least in summer, being there becomes more affordable. If climate changes continue (as Becky said, whatever the cause) I may live to see the first time since that international war will be fought within presumed Canadian borders, within my home country. (Before historians assert corrections upon that "first time" remark: I'm aware of but excluding from "international war" such events as land theft from aborigianl nations--which were mostly earlier than confederation and more like one-sided obliterations than two-sided wars--and the 1885 Northwest Rebellion a.k.a. Riel Rebellion and the gold-vs-fish wars in late 19th c. BC Fraser River. Also excluded are the war of 1812 and the two 1837 rebellions all of which occurred before confederation in 1867. All other corrections welcome!!)

I don't relish raining on Hudson's parade, or Amos' vicarious enjoyment, but now it's the morning after which usually means consequences.

Subject: RE: Heroic Hudson Makes Northwest Passage!
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Sep 11 - 11:44 AM

mmm...wonder if we are related...that'd be neat!

Subject: RE: Heroic Hudson Makes Northwest Passage!
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 06 Sep 11 - 11:40 AM

A clear indication of climate change (whatever the reason ;-) .

~ Becky in Long Beach

Subject: RE: Heroic Hudson Makes Northwest Passage!
From: Amos
Date: 06 Sep 11 - 09:43 AM

Thanks, Charley. His blog goes back through several long voyages and is worth reading back through. I hear from RIchard's brother Tim from time to time when he has something to say. He adds updates to the comments connected to thelast photo in the blog (Old Schooner).


A

Subject: RE: Heroic Hudson Makes Northwest Passage!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Sep 11 - 08:17 PM

Hope to hear more!

Charley Noble

Subject: Heroic Hudson Makes Northwest Passage!
From: Amos
Date: 05 Sep 11 - 05:07 PM

One of my current heros, in a minor sort of way, is a sailor named Richard Hudson,who owns the schooner ROsemary Ruth, with which I fell in love, and which is presently on the hard in a yard up the Hudson River soewhere. He himself took off from Toronto last Spring in the Issuma, a larger schooner of more modern design, and sailed up the Saint Lawrence to where it debouches into the Labrador Sea, sailed on across to Labrador and from there to Greenland, up the coast of Numavik, and now, by god, he has sailed all the way through the fabled Northwest Passage into the Beaufort Sea, the legendary quest of ancient explorers like Franklin (19th C.) and Hudson (16th). He has reached ALaska, having started out in March in Toronto.

Richard's travels are detailed in a blog at:

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/rhudson/

but his satellite phone has been dead for a few days and only an email from the Coast Guard showed us he had made the big advance into the Beaufort Sea. "He expected that the next port would be either Nome or Dutch Harbour, AK and the ETA is appprox. 3 weeks.", says the Coast Guard in Iceland.

On 4 September, according to a later CG email to a relative, Richard had been unable to anchor at Barret, Alaska, and was setting course for Dutch Harbor, the large port at the end of the Alaskan Peninsula/beginning of the Aleutian Islands. He is currently facing 30-60 mph winds and temperatures around freezing.

He has been through worse.

   I am very proud of him !

A