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(Story added : October 27, 2010) - Børge Ousland Completes the first continuous Circumnavigation of the North Pole

Arriving back in Bergen on 14th October 2010, Norwegian explorer Børge Ousland and skipper Thorleif Thorleifsson onboard the sailboat ‘Northern Passage’ made the first full circle navigation of the Polar Basin. Their route took them through both the North East and North west passage. Climate change has for the first time made it possible to achieve this circumnavigation during one summer.

On several occasions the trap was closing just behind them, when ice floes merged and froze. Headwinds along the Siberian coast also delayed their progress. To keep to the schedule the crew also sailed at night, a difficult task, not the least because they had to keep a constant lookout for ice.

Photo ©Eric Brossier

The expedition used a small trimaran made of fibreglass. With a 10 hp outboard as their only engine, the expedition is one of the most environmental friendly ever. The small size of the boat made it able to navigate in shallow waters. It also could be pulled up on the ice if necessary.

– We are excited to have done this expedition, but it is also scary that it has been possible, says Børge Ousland and Thorleif Thorleifsson.

Less than 10 years ago the first steel hulled sailboat managed to get through just one of the passages, and 100 years ago a circumnavigation would have taken six years. The two Norwegians point to this as a clear indication that climate change affects the Arctic. Børge Ousland frequently travels on the polar ice, and has the last 15 years marked the steady thinning of the polar ice.

– We wanted our expedition to give an example of what is happening, says Ousland.

Børge Ousland and Thorleif Thorleifsson have been onboard for the whole expedition. In addition the changing crew has consisted of Russian Stanislav Kostyashkin, two Frenchmen, Vincent Colliard and Eric Brossier, Ibrahim Sharaf from Dubai and the Norwegian Trygve Rushfeldt.

The expedition started in Oslo on Midsummer’s Eve and came to Bergen for the first time on June 28th. Then the route was Kirkenes, Murmansk, along the Siberian coast, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, the Faroes and finishing in Bergen.

Story published by : admin