5 day scramble

Since leaving the slope May 20 and landing in Anchorage, it has been a non stop blast of energy amongst the crew of Empiricus. A long punch list sat before us as the time ticked away. The name of the game was “Checklist”. With a checklist in hand, mountains can be moved. without. Mountains can […]

Presenting SV “Scarlet Letter” Built By Dan Duame

Crew member and Ships Carpenter Dan Duame has been hard at it this spring. Building the tender for Empiricus and its finally complete. Dan left the naming of her to me. An honer I truly appreciate. After long deliberation and waiting for the right name to come to mind. A clever snippet of inspiration lead […]

Sailing Dinghy Gets Paint and Ice Charts are compiled.

Today in Palmer Alaska, Dan Duame puts the final touches on the dinghy Its is almost ready for rigging! Meanwhile in Prudhoe Bay, the 2012 Ice charts are being studied and reviewed. They will be used as a baseline comparison for the 2013 Voyage.

High Arctic Fuel Depot

Well if you don’t already know, the Crew of Empiricus will be attempting a passage that has never been done in history. Route 1 East as it is called is the Eastbound route through McClure Straight. We do not yet know if conditions will be favorable for this passage but we plan to give it […]

Clean Water Transfer System by Capt. Osborn

One of the great conserns in sailing history, is water. Good clean water. Many voyages have been doomed by tainted water supplies, contributing to sickness and obviously dehydration. Of course the modern answer to this dilemma is to purchase or build a “Water-maker” or reverse osmosis membrane, fed by a high pressure pump. There are […]

SV “?????????” is nearly complete

Dan is putting the final touches on the Eastport, “Passage Maker” Pram. His hard work in building this fine little vessel is a major contribution to our trip through the Northwest Passage.

This little pram will be our workhorse. Hauling fuel, food, water and of course “Us” to and from land. It will carry a triple reefed sailing lug rig that is simple to set up and use.

The boat can also be rowed by one person. Early explorers used small launches like these almost daily, to scout out anchorages, take soundings and gather provisions.

A name has been chosen and will be announced, during a launching ceremony in the near future.

Reflections of preparation by Captain Jesse Osborn

It is difficult to explain what burns in my heart. This push to explore. To feel my limits and chase my dreams. To inspire. To lead by example and show those around me that the impossible is far beyond our imaginations. Relative only to our limited experience and dampened by our view of comfort. These […]

New sailbags for the Jib and Genoa.

Yet again saved money by sewing new sailbags myself. These were made from kits, but after completing them, I feel I could replicate the process fairly accurately, with no plotting or plans.

These will hold the sail and be lifted from the deck by a halyard.

Fuel staging containers

Fuel canisters staged in the kitchen for stenciling. Although Empiricus is a true sailing craft, Transiting the Northwest Passage has never (To my knowledge) been accomplished without the use of an auxiliary engine. Ronald Amundsen carried thousands of gallons of fuel for his multi year passage. He was the first to do so and attributed […]

Building the Passagemaker lug sail

Friends and fellow sailors, Oksana and Sean help assemble some panels on a late Saturday night. Basting and sewing the panels Prep and planning is everything and each sail is different. Panels 1 and 2 Panels 1 and 2 going together Measurung and plotting a patch assembly to reinforce the Reef Clew. Reef clew patches […]

EMPIRICUS EMBARKS

A site dedicated to purpose filled life, exploration under sail and the philosophy behind it all

2013 EXPEDITION