The Arctic Row Team was forced to backtrack 12 miles yesterday as a fierce Arctic Storm came tearing over the ocean.
In the face of the coming storm, the team fought the wind for every mile gained. On August 4th, they anchored near Barrow, Alaska after gaining only two miles on the ocean in as many days.
The high-winds storm was pushing a mass of ice toward the rowers, several icebergs which threatened to run them aground. While the Arctic Row Team themselves weren’t in danger, their equipment was.
So on the night of August 5th, to protect their equipment and ultimately the mission, the team rowed 12 miles north, opposite the direction in which they need to head to reach Russia, the terminating point of their expedition.
Rowing south they sought a lagoon where they could seek shelter from the storm, where on the open ocean winds were reaching 40 miles per hour.
For the time being, they are riding out the storm in this lagoon. The delay, however, presents other problems, such as food rationing. While they have not depleted their stores of food, they are beginning to grow concerned over whether they’ll have enough, especially in the event of more delays.
Photo: The Arctic Row Team waiting out the storm in the cockpit of the vessel. Credit: Arctic Row Blog.