Sharing with young people about the Northwest Passage

Sharing with young people is one of the most satisfying opportunities in life. I am thankful for opportunities like this. http://sewardcitynews.com/2013/10/empericus-embarks-on-seward-middle-school/

Resonate on the bright side.

“Resonate” -to produce or be filled with a deep, full reverberating sound. We hear about all the ripple effects, don’t we? We hear the gossip and the drama. We as humans seem to love drama. Drama and blame. I have a theory about that. The theory goes that we tend to take the wide path […]

Patience, friends and cranes in Cambridge Bay

How we hauled an 18-ton boat in the Canadian Arctic. As you know, Empiricus sits on the hard in Cambridge Bay, awaiting the 2014 exploration of the North. But how did she get there? The book on Arctic logistics is thin at best. In those waters, you just make do with what you have. Personally, […]

The “Crown Jewel” of the Northwest Passage

For hundreds of years, men have set their sights on the Northwest Passage. Motivations were primarily trade, beyond the passage. Then as time went on, fur trades were developed in the Arctic as a way to fund further exploration and or at least justify a presence here. When Roald Amundsen made the passage a reality, […]

Enjoying The Process works on land as well.

When I decided to end the 2013 season in Cambridge bay, I was set on the decision as the wisest option. However, this left me somewhat unsettled inside. I desired some satisfaction at the end of this journey and quite honestly, some purpose. The claws of life on land, hooked each one of us in […]

Tuktoyuktuk to Cambridge Bay.

We left Tuktoyuktuk in heavy East weather. The tempuratures dropped rapidly and it was hard work making ground to windward. we spent about 12 hours at Cape Bathurst, before catching favorable winds East. Then sail we did, all the way to Johansen Bay. Now in the peppered Islands of Coronation Gulf, a heavy Gale from […]

“With determination and effort, NOTHING is impossible”
Eddy Gruben

Exploring Hershel Island

After departing the big Ice flow, we continued sailing East. Then encountered a head wind that built the seas and slowed our progress. Heavy fog set in just as we approached Hershel Island. We tried to go between the Island and the mainland, to get some shelter. According to the official publications, we wound have […]

A surreal passage to a melting Island.

08/05/13, 0200 hrs. Today has been amazing. After sailing wing and wing under the drifter for a while, the wind died down to slick flat water We were motoring in flat water, just as Isaac’s shift came to an end. A gentle breeze came to life, barely rippling the face of the water. We trimmed […]

The view from “Out in Space”

The view from the water is an amazing sight. I’ve never been to outer space, but I would liken sights from the sea to those of Earth from outer space. In the words of Roger B Chaffee, U.S. Astronaut reardging seeing Earth from afar: “The world itself looks cleaner and so much more beautiful. Maybe […]

EMPIRICUS EMBARKS

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