The New Northwest Passage

Description

In the summer of 2009 Cameron Dueck and the rest of the crew of the Silent Sound completed a journey made by fewer people than have climbed Mt. Everest; they sailed through the infamous Northwest Passage. These waters are normally locked in ice, but due to climate change it is now possible to sail here for a few short weeks each summer.

Their voyage from Victoria to Halifax carried them through raging storms and mechanical breakdowns and took them into sea ice that threatened to crush their hull. But more importantly it brought them face to face with modern Arctic life in tiny, isolated Inuit communites where the challenge of climate change is added to the already crushing load of social and economic woes.

Each person they met along the way added their story to this colourful tale of life in the Arctic; a unique place where the climate change experience is affected by the critical and ongoing debates over sovereignty, resources and cultural assimilation.

“Lots of people dream of quitting the rat-race, buying a boat and sailing away to the Caribbean or the South Pacific. But few do the first two and then embark on a voyage through the Northwest Passage. Hats off to Cameron Dueck: he acted, made good, and now he’s written a compelling book about it.” — Ken McGoogan, author of the Fatal Passage quartet

“In an adventure worthy of Indiana Jones, Cameron Dueck sets out to fine the ‘Arctic Grail.’” – Michael Byers, author of Who Owns the Arctic?

“The book is an engrossing string of vignettes about life in the real Arctic, not the Arctic of tourism brochures and adventurers’ tales. Dueck has a faithful and sympathetic ear for the people of the Arctic and how their lives are changing.” – Clive Tesar, World Wildlife Fund

“Cameron Dueck’s account of this journey makes a wonderful read – exciting, amusing, and above all, interesting.” – E.C. Pielou, author of A Naturalist’s Guide to the Arctic

“…The New Northwest Passage nicely captures the joys and pitfalls of an Arctic journey.”  – Canadian Geographic

“In the hands of a good writer like Dueck, the story of the trip is engaging and hard to put down.” –  The Winnipeg Free Press

“…Dueck presents an important portrait of a people and place in flux.”  – Quill & Quire

“This book will capture the imagination not only of all cruising sailors, but also of any armchair adventure, combining a route of historical importance with a personal storytelling style that offers a glimpse of the determination and inspiration needed to tackle such feat” – Sail World