This summer, ice build-up in Bellot Strait made it particularly difficult for boats to make their way through the Northwest Passage.
All sailboats in the area had to suspend their westward progress. Even the cruise liners changed course and turned back.
Only a Garcia Exploration 52, which Nature had been a little kinder to, managed to make its way through the ice fields and reach the open waters further west.
It's a reminder that this passage remains one of the most delicate, demanding and roughest navigations, where you can only venture if you have total confidence in your boat.
