Ice Tactics by Capt. Jesse Osborn published in Ocean Navigator Magazine

I began writing a small series on Arctic Ice Tactics this fall. Ocean Navigator Magazine has published one of the articles in the March 2015 issue.

http://www.oceannavigator.com/March-April-2015/Negotiating-a-brash-ice-barrier/

Ocean Navigator is an all business magazine for serious sailors and we are proud to have contributed to the sailing community through this publication for the second time.

Enjoy!

Capt. Jesse Osborn

SV EMPIRICUS

A Gimbaled Astrocompass Experiment

In the spring of 2014 adapted an aircraft Astrocompass, for use at sea. https://empiricusembarks.com/2014/06/22/if-it-cannot-be-bought-it-must-be-built/ I did this by gutting an old Wood Freeman Autopilot compass, which was gimbal mounted. Then replaced the magnetic compass works, with a standard astrocompass mount. Then Samantha and I packed the works up to the Arctic, where Empiricus lay waiting […]

2 SEASONS IN THE ARCTIC WITH “STORMR” An equipment review, by the crew of Empiricus

“STORMR” Product review from a sailors perspective. By Capt. Jesse Osborn and the crew of SV Empiricus. 2012-2014 In 2012, I was preparing to sail the fabled Northwest Passage. Having the right foul weather gear was going to be important. As I discussed this with a friend, he told me about this new company called […]

Big Bad Bellot Straight Part 2. A successful passage.

On September 1, 2014, just after our 1st attempt at the Northwest Passage’s infamous Bellot Straight, we vowed not to make another, until we had a got, clear ice report. We were prepared and ready to return to Gjoa Haven for the winter, if need be and in the mean time sat drifting in calm […]

BIG BAD BELLOT STRAIT. PART 1

Big Bad Bellot. The West entrance to the strait is located at 71 Deg 58 Min North by 95 Deg 11 Min West. Its southern shore marks the northernmost point on the North American continent. This narrow body of water is not well charted and carries a long history of dramatic encounters for ships […]

Northwest Passage 2014 the official complete list of passage makers.

The following is the official list of Northwest Passage transits, by all vessels in recorded history. Empiricus is number 208! Ever! There is also some brief but interesting reading in the introduction. They have Empiricus listed as a “Ketch”, but thats an easy mistake to make. We have requested a correction to “Yawl”, but thats […]

What is the Northwest Passage?

I’ve been blogging about the Northwest Passage for a while now and I just realized that the details of this place have not always been in the forefront of my writing. Encyclopedia Britannica defines the “Northwest Passage” as “Northwest Passage, historical sea passage of the North American continent, representing centuries of effort to find a […]

“Ice Tactics” Part 1. Negotiating a Brash Ice Barrier By Captain Jesse Osborn

In our 2014 completion of the Northwest Passage, Samantha and I encountered a large band of high concentration ice. We were able to work our way through that ice with tactics we learned along the way. This article is the first of a short series I will be writing on ice tactics. As it seems […]

Captains Log

Captains log. Friday. 08/08/2014 0018 hrs. We have been underway continually since departing Cambridge Bay, Wednesday evening. The weather has been stable, cold and blowing from the NW 10-20 mph the entire time, besides a temporary SW shift on Thursday. It is near or below freezing outside right now and I’ve just come off shift. […]

Eastbound From Cambridge Bay, following 2 weeks of preparation.

Its 0200 hours on 08/05/2014 in Cambridge Bay. I feel thrashed. But my checklist says “Blog Post,” so here we go. Since Samantha and I got here, we have gone flat out. Fixing, repairing, cleaning and walking back and forth to town for cell service. EMPIRICUS sat just as I left her, perched perfectly on […]

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