Route of Ocean Watch Through the Northwest Passage
Ocean Watch, the 64-foot sailboat that also doubles as a voyage of scientific discovery is traveling over the top of North America, in an effort to traverse the rapidly melting yet still dangerous Northwest Passage.
The fabled shipping route has been long sought by explorers as a quick way from Europe to the far East. Thanks to a little help from Mother Nature in the form of climate change the passage is now passable for a few weeks each summer.
And sailors of all levels of experience are flocking to the far north in an effort to be part of an elite group traveling through this largely unexplored area.
Despite annual melting of the sea ice, sailing through the Canadian archipelago is a tricky business.
REALscience continues its coverage of the voyage of Ocean Watch as it makes an attempt to circumnavigate North and South America.
