However, last winter (2009-2010) registered a cold temperature fluctuation which resulted in a thickening and increasing in size of the ice coverage, which has reached, even if late, the extention of the ice measured in the years 1979 to 2000.

Now, as long as we are concerned, the pack moves, breaks and reassembles itself depending on the currents and the winds and tends to accumulate around the Canadian Islands. To complicate the situation, observations taken in years of minimum coverage, in particular 2005, the ice has moved and has “clogged” the channels among the Canadian islands, making it really difficult for the boats to navigate through, to the extent that in 2004-2005 only one has managed to pass (in  two seasons), in 2005 another one, and another one (in three seasons) in 2004-2006, while in 2006 only two have passed through.

Every year in June, the Canadian Ice Service publishes the ce seasonal outlook, which gives a pretty good idea of what one can expect, obviously still remaining only a forecast which, as we all know, loses in precision the more one looks into the future.

We won’t be able to know what conditions we will find in 2011 until June that year, when, if all goes as planned, we will already have left on our expedition.

Judging on what we have learned until now, we could find rather harsh conditions and there will still be the risk of getting blocked by the ice for the winter.

If the forecasts of the scientists become true, in a number of years the Northwest Passage won’t be blocked by the ice any more and navigating through it won’t be such an adventure any longer.

Organization of the expedition

The segments in which we have logically divided the organisation are:

1. •Formal and legal aspects
   

2. •Financing
   

3. •Finding and preparing the crew
   

4. •Techical preparation of the boat
   

5. •Safety
   

6. •Logistics
   

7. •Communications and media
   

8. •Documentation of the expedition
   

We expect that all the segments of the expedition will in some way profit from the active participation of the members of the expedition and that this in particular will be one of the highlights of our project.

At this moment we can predict that during this year an Association will be formally set up on purpose for this expedition, which everybody participating in the expedition will necessarily have to become member of.

Crew

We are planning 5 to 8 crew members per leg. It will be possible to participate in more that one leg of the expedition.

Other than Nanni Acquarone, who is the founder and coordinator of the project, the members of the managing team who at the moment expect to take part at least for some of the legs are Mario Acquarone, Paolo Falco, Cristina Lombardi, Nicoletta Martini e Roberto Oberti.

For what concerns technical abilities and proficiencies other than saling ones, at the moment we can say that one of the crew members should be an expert photographer/cameraman, all would ideally have completed the ISAF course on safety at sea, at least two members should have mastered the first aid course BLS (Basic Life Support) and one member should be a scuba diver able to dive with a thermic suite.

On land we plan to have:

1. •a contact who will coordinate every potential piece of news and manage support in case of need (even if only supply wise) and
   

2. •a doctor (who could be a SIRM member)
   

Sponsor e supporters

We consider this project so exceptional that it could become a very interesting window for the Companies who would wish to support it.

We are preparing a communication plan which will satisfy eventual sponsors’ needs.

We are asking for the patronage of the President of the Italian Republic.

For the moment we are actively supported by Il Frangente editions, http://www.frangente.com/ilfrangente/index.php
which with Antonio Penati, are spurring us on and spreading our news.

We are also friends with Oceani 3000 Association.
http://www.oceani.org/

Bibliography on the Northwest Passage and on Polar navigation and exploration in icy waters

1. •Bellot, J.-R., Journal d’un voyage aux mers polaires. Expédition du Prince-Albert 1851-1852 La Découvrance éditions, 2007
   

2. •Cowper, David Scott, Northwest Passage Solo. Seafarer Books, 1993
   

3. •De Roos, Willy, Il passaggio a Nord-Ovest. Dalla Groenlandia allo Stretto di Bering, 80 anni dopo Amundsen (Le passage du Nord-Ouest). Mursia, 1983
   

4. •Dubois, Bertrand, Les Montagnes de l’Océan. Editions du Pen Duick, 1980
   

5. •Fleming, Fergus, Deserto di ghiaccio (Ninety Degrees North. The Quest for the North Pole). Carocci, 2009
   

6. •Garland, Joseph E., Lone Voyager. The Extraordinary Adventures of Howard Blackburn, Hero Fisherman of Gloucester. Touchstone, 2000.
   

7. •Hansen, Thorkild, Il capitano Jens Munk (Jens Munk). Mondolibri, 2000.
   

8. •Janichon, Gérard, Damien. 55.000 miglia dallo Spitsbergen ai mari australi (Damien). Mursia, 1980
   

9. •Lewis, David, Ice Bird. Il primo viaggio in solitario nell’Antartico. (Ice Bird: The First Single Handed Voyage to Antarctica). Mursia, 1978
   

10. •McClintock, F. L. –Amundsen, Roald, Le Passage du Nord-Ouest. 1847-1906. Phébus, 1992
    

11. •Pinczon du Sel, France, Brossier, Eric, Circumpolaris. Vagabond dans l’Arctique. Glénat, 2007 (esiste l’edizione italiana a cura de Il Frangente)
    

12. •Pitras, Olivier, La via dei Ghiacci. Il passaggio a Nord-Ovest a Vela. Interlinea, 2003
    

13. •Poncet, Sally, Le grand hiver Damien II, base anctarctique. Arthaud, 1981
    

14. •Raban, Jonathan, Passaggio in Alaska Da Seattle a Juneau. (Passage to Juneau. A Sea and Its Meanings). Einaudi, 2003
    

15. •Simon, Alvah, A Nord verso la lunga notte L’odissea di un uomo solo tra i ghiacci dell’Artico (North to the Night – A Spiritual Odyssey in the Arctic). Sonzogno, 2001
    

16. •Zavatti, Silvio, L’esplorazione dell’Antartide. Storia di un continente. Mursia, 1974
    

References

News on the Northwest Passage and on the Arctic, explorations and sailing can be found here:

1. •Michele Pontrandolfo http://www.artiko.it/sb_template.php?pagina=multipagemaster_sel&id_nav=7&RECORD_KEY(multipage)=id_multipage&id_multipage(multipage)=9
   

2. •Arctic Poles http://www.poliarctici.com/italian/index.htm
   

3. •Polar travels http://www.viaggipolari.it/index.php?i_tree_id=13&plugin=news&i_category_id=8&i_news_id=29
   

4. •Istituto Geografico Polare “Silvio Zavatti” http://www.museopolare.it/
   

5. •Canadian Ice Service http://ice-glaces.ec.gc.ca/App/WsvPageDsp.cfm?ID=1&Lang=eng&Clear=true