Posts Tagged ‘northwest passage’
Northwest Passage voyage dazzles even old hands
This past autumn, we sailed Out of the Northwest Passage with Adventure Canada. Our Hero wrote the logbook (see pic), a full-color version of which goes automatically to passengers. Next August, we’ll sail the other way: Into the Passage. What’s it like? Coming your way: a few excerpts. This voyage left even old hands awestruck and…
Read MoreSailing into the Northwest Passage in 2016. Are we excited yet?
This particular voyage is going to sell out, make no mistake. So for those interested in Arctic exploration, this is a heads-up. Adventure Canada’s voyage Into the Northwest Passage 2016 is going to be special — not because Sheena and I will be aboard (though we will), and not because we will visit Beechey Island, probably…
Read MoreRed Cross certifies Our Hero as set to sail in the Northwest Passage
I know, I know: I shared this on Facebook already. But it’s not every day that a guy gets Red-Cross certified. So for the Enduring Record that is this blog (?): yes, I can do CPR. I was all over that dummy yesterday. In truth, the course is no walk in the park: 9 to…
Read MoreSearching for John Franklin: 2015 should bring major revelations . . .
Why are people highlighting the search for the Terror? That’s what I found myself wondering. The most exciting discoveries will almost certainly be made aboard the Erebus. Last September, with winter coming on, time ran out before Parks Canada divers could investigate that long-lost Franklin vessel. When they return this year, they will have time…
Read MoreEyewitness report from Westminster Abbey: John Rae lives!
–> LONDON, England – The ledger stone is brilliantly placed. It reads: “John Rae / 1813 – 1893 / Arctic Explorer.” Newly installed in Westminster Abbey in the heart of London, it is situated directly beneath the elaborate bust of Sir John Franklin. The effect is one of completion. Given the privilege of offering “a…
Read MoreThe Franklin discovery is not about what, but where
Published Wednesday, Sep. 10 2014 You’ve got to love the above headline, which introduced Our Hero’s think-piece in today’s Globe and Mail. You can read the whole by clicking here. Probably you will want to do that after sampling this excerpt? First, a bit of extra background. 1. In 1854, the Inuit who spoke to…
Read MoreCircling Calgary with John Rae on board
Those who check this page religiously (hi, mom) will have noticed that Our Hero “updated” his last posting, taking out a reference to venue. Yes, the Scots are still marching to Calgary and we’re on our way, too. Originally, to give our talk about explorer John Rae, called Return to Rae Strait, we were making…
Read MoreReturn to Rae Strait
In August 1854, during a single prodigious Arctic expedition, the Scottish Orcadian superman John Rae solved the two great mysteries of 19th-century Arctic exploration. First, beating his way overland with his two hardiest men, an Inuk and an Ojibway, he discovered the final link in the Northwest Passage, the only channel navigable by the sailing…
Read MoreThe Royal Society of Edinburgh
Our Hero is bringing John Rae back to Scotland, figuratively speaking. Ken has been invited to lecture about Rae at the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland’s National Academy. On April 22, he will give a talk entitled John Rae: The Forgotten Hero of Arctic Exploration. Rae was born in Orkney, northern Scotland, in September,…
Read MoreWhy John Rae and NOT Sir John Franklin
So folks are (still!) debating the accomplishments of John Franklin and John Rae over at Russell Potter’s blog, where I have been driven to offer the following thoughts . . . .:http://visionsnorth.blogspot.ca/2012/09/a-navigable-northwest-passage.html Greetings, Russell. Nicely done. But we do not yet see eye to eye. We agree, I think, that John Rae discovered Rae Strait.…
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