The Goliath Expedition

21st March 2006
Initially, as well as heading north-west anyway, they were carried northwards by the current. Their main problem is trying to make progress in a westerly direction. They have been attempting to avoid a large area of open-water to their front / west which the helicopter the BBC were using had spotted when K&D set off. However, looking at the satellite imagery of today’s ice state, it appears this may have either closed or moved on. Unfortunately, on the ice they can’t see this type of thing until they’re on top of it.  The ice is in a terrible state, far worse than anything they encountered going around the coast. To paint the picture, he says imagine them as two ants attempting to cross a car-park full of powdered glass. It has taken a toll, ripping the bottom out off the smaller fibre glass sled. They have now put all the equipment into the larger Kevlar sled (400lb) and are pulling (+ pushing, carrying and lifting) it together. After a couple of days out there was also some southwards drift, but just at the present the ice is relatively stationary.

Just at present there is a high pressure over their area, with lows over Alaska and north-eastern Russia. They have 12 days’ supplies left and four good batteries for the sat phone.