+x Dick - 23 Jun 2021+x Daria Blackwell - 23 Jun 2021Attached is a list of completed transits of the NW Passage as of 2019. As far as I know, there was only one completed transit by a pleasure craft in 2020, the year of the pandemic when Canada closed its borders, which was by Peter Smith. He not only transited the Passage, Kiwi Roa challenged Canadian restrictions to innocent passage rights."His successful transit marks the first time that a vessel invoked innocent passage and navigated through the Northwest Passage in defiance of explicit Canadian disapproval. Canada’s claim of effective control will now always have the Kiwi Roa asterisk hanging over it."I was following Peter the entire way last year and wrote about it in my blog. He did it without ever going ashore and sailing much more of the distance than most. Meanwhile, in February, Canada announced a one-year ban on pleasure craft transiting the NW Passage. What a long strange year it's been.Hi Daria,I would like to push the position that, we, as cruisers, are wise to be good guests in the countries we visit. Whether we agree with positions taken by the countries where we are a visitor or not, I would urge respect and adherence. Had the vessel in question gotten in any sort of trouble, it would have been Canada and its shore-lined communities who would have had to deal with it: this in a time of stress and uncertainty with the pandemic. So, I am not surprised that Canada has closed the NW passage for the coming season. I hope no cruising/pleasure vessel attempts to flaunt their wishes. I do not know whether the behavior of the skipper/vessel you described played any part with Canada’s decision, but it certainly could not have helped. I do know that there are consequences when cruisers do not leave a clean wake. Not only are bad feelings left behind, but the next cruisers to come along will not have the benefit of easy acceptance which normally comes our way.My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
+x Daria Blackwell - 23 Jun 2021Attached is a list of completed transits of the NW Passage as of 2019. As far as I know, there was only one completed transit by a pleasure craft in 2020, the year of the pandemic when Canada closed its borders, which was by Peter Smith. He not only transited the Passage, Kiwi Roa challenged Canadian restrictions to innocent passage rights."His successful transit marks the first time that a vessel invoked innocent passage and navigated through the Northwest Passage in defiance of explicit Canadian disapproval. Canada’s claim of effective control will now always have the Kiwi Roa asterisk hanging over it."I was following Peter the entire way last year and wrote about it in my blog. He did it without ever going ashore and sailing much more of the distance than most. Meanwhile, in February, Canada announced a one-year ban on pleasure craft transiting the NW Passage. What a long strange year it's been.