” After thirty days of hard work, and after the approach to 80° north, it’s a good time to make an initial assessment of this first circumnavigation of Greenland on the WindSled. We have already covered more than 1,243 mi (2,000 km) through one of the wildest areas of the planet.
Our strange sled, 30 ft (9 m) long by 12 ft (3.5 m) wide, porting two tents carries on board an international team that has been consolidating itself with the passage of time. Hugo Svensson, Karin Moe Bojsen, Manuel Olivera, Eusebio Beamonte and myself are navigating a stunning sea of white ice, only laced with occasional waves of snow that adorn the monotony of the landscape, giving it a menacing look when shadows are elongated at midnight. Those shadows then glow with a different tone than that of the white polar surface.”
” The desert snow is full of shades playing with only two colors: white and blue. Our yellow sled progresses as a foreign body on the surface, pulled by two distant dots that make it seem impossible to drag a ton and a half of weight. Up there in the sky, the kite moves more than 984 ft (300 m) away. It looks like a rebellious butterfly, whimsically moving up and down its wings.
For someone who does not see the fine cords that bind us, it might seem that there is no connection between the two. As if the sled was guided by a magical invisible finger…
Undoubtedly the sled is moved by a powerful energy, a force that permits advancing without motors, and with no more noise than the howling of the wind, these powerful air currents that allow you to travel great distances in unknown terrain.”
” Its amazing navigation, the development of this potential becoming more tangible as we go, is in the spirit of this expedition. A journey that combines the geographical challenge of 3,107 mi (5,000 km) around Greenland, with the development of a design involving an innovative concept of travel inside the Arctic island.
And here we are, alone, with complete self-sufficiency, demonstrating this potential with every new mile we travel, and with each snow sample, Manuel, the scientist in charge, collects for this adventure.”
” And as we continue, it’s my strongest assurance that we are highlighting the tremendous possibilities the WindSled has. The simple, clean and efficient vehicle for polar scientific research. A new alternative that may be adopted to develop Antarctic continental programs. It is really a mobile ecological laboratory.
The sun is high at midnight. Still, the temperature is – 25 degrees C. Hard. Shear. Hugo and Karin, the night captains of this ship, although in the company of our star, go warmly clad and with lots of layers. They place special care in the hands and face, the weakest areas when handling the controls.”
” Meanwhile, back inside the tent, others listen to the sled noises emitted by moving 9 mi (15 km) per hour on snow. We can not stop. The “captains” are always attentive on how to better monitor the wind, as on any other boat. From within is a constant rattle that feels similar to when traveling by train. At first, it took some time getting used to, but now it no longer bothers us. Getting up, dressing, having breakfast… still remain the most delicate tasks because real balancing is required.”
” Our pace is leisurely when break time arrives, following the plan we have set. Two piloting for nine hours, others relieve them and have six hours to do maintenance on the sled, process scientific data, cook, write, read, chat with colleagues or simply relax for a while in the vast silence that surrounds us.
This is the routine in which we have traveled 1,243 mi (2,000 km), the same with the next 1,864 mi (3,000 km) to go to complete our challenge. The goal, although still distant, we look to with optimism, confident that we will complete the journey successfully, even if the wind isn’t always benevolent to us. “