The earliest indications of European visits to the now Canadian Northwest dates back to the Norse colonies of Greenland in the 11th century.

In 1576, exploration started with the Martin Forbisher’s squadron searching for a passage over the top of the Americas to the Orient. They reached Resolution Island and proclaimed the land as “Queen Elizabeth’s Forelande.”

From 1903 to 1906, Roald Amundsen led the first expedition to successfully pass to the Pacific from the Atlantic via the Northwest Passage.

In 1977, Willy de Roos became the first person to sail the Northwest Passage solo in a 41 foot steel ketch.

The goal of this adventure is not so much to recreate any of the early explorers passages, as it is to be a journey of self-discovery pitting many years of sea service and the study of seamanship against this harsh environment.