Explorer to attempt to reach North Pole by yacht
24/07/2017
A former sports industry executive, Mr Hadow came to prominence as an explorer in 2003 when he completed the first solo walk from the Canadian coast to the North Pole. Speaking about his new venture on July 24, he told the BBC that this walk would not be possible today because the sea ice around the North Pole has receded too much.
He said two 15-metre yachts would take part in the expedition, attempting a round trip of more than 5,500 kilometres. He said it will be “bitter sweet” if the attempt to reach the North Pole by yacht succeeds but added that he thinks it’s “a reasonable possibility” because at this time of year, the end of summer, as much as 50% of the Central Arctic Ocean may be open water, while the thinness and weakness of the ice that remains may also yield to the yachts.
He told the BBC he is concerned about the “immediate threat” that commercial fishing could present to the array of “highly vulnerable wildlife” that lives in the region and about the longer term prospect of commercial shipping using these waters as a short-cut between Europe and North America.
“What I would like to achieve is to capture an image of sail-boat at 90 degrees north,” Mr Hadow said, “and for that image to be seen by the whole world and become an iconic image of the challenge of the twenty-first century, which is: are we serious about becoming a more sustainable species?”
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