Paul Ridley ’05 (forefront) does a practice row with teammates on Lake Michigan in preparation for their Arctic row.
For the second time in his young life, Paul Ridley ’05 is about to embark on an adventure that man has never before achieved. Ridley — who rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 — will be attempting the first nonstop, unsupported row across the Arctic Ocean with three other men.
Paul Ridley ’05 (foreground) does a practice row with teammates on Lake Michigan in preparation for their Arctic row.
The crew will shove off from the shores of Inuvik, Canada, and head northwest toward their destination of Provideniya, Russia — a 1,300-mile distance that they estimate will take 30 days.
They hope to depart July 15, but that depends on the weather, as Ridley knows all too well from his 2009 row. “I waited [to depart] on the Atlantic for two weeks before I finally got a wind, and the weather in this region is less predictable,” he said.
There are many unknown factors with this expedition, Ridley added. “Only a few boats have ever rowed above the Arctic Circle, and those that have done it have either been supported by a bigger sailboat, or they’ve stopped on the beaches at night to sleep.”
Actually, one of the things keeping Ridley up at night is the possibility of getting blown on to shore and stranded on an Alaskan beach with aggressive polar bears. The team will be bringing a shotgun in case they need to defend themselves.
The foursome will row in shifts, with two men rowing for two hours and then taking two hours off, around the clock. The boat is equipped with two watertight cabins, one for sleeping and the other for storing gear and meals — which will consist of dehydrated food, energy bars, and trail mix. “We’re going to be in a lot of high-pressure situations on little to no sleep, a bad diet, and exhausted after rowing 12 hours a day,” Ridley said.
Another wild card, he noted, is ice. Although up until seven years ago the route was impassible because it was frozen, there is now the danger of the boat getting locked up in pack ice. “But because it’s been so warm up there and because the ice level so far this year is historically low, it should not be as much of a problem. That’s good for us because it means we won’t be dodging icebergs, but it’s really not good for anyone else,” said Ridley, referring to global warming. “This year is on track to be the lowest ice year in recent history. The science that we’ve seen attributes that to climate change.”
Recognizing the opportunity that they have to witness changes in the Arctic firsthand, the crew is assisting two professors at the University of Alaska Fairbanks with two different types of scientific research. By trailing a net and collecting zooplankton samples, the team will help measure the health of the Arctic Ocean ecosystem. And, they will be observing whales to study the role of olfaction in feeding habits.
Their findings will be incorporated into a documentary (to be shot by teammate and adventure filmmaker Scott Mortensen) with the working title “” that they hope will raise awareness about Arctic-related issues like climate change, energy innovation, and environmental protection. The men are currently pitching the film to broadcast outlets like Discovery and National Geographic.
The land team guiding the crew includes three 51rs: Ridley’s girlfriend, Katrina Jensen ’09; Dan Solomon ’05, who will be updating the Russian military on the crew’s position twice a day; and Paul’s dad, Mark Ridley ’72. Mark is currently in transit to Inuvik, towing the boat that has yet to be named (the team is reserving it for a title sponsor).
Click to read the Scene story on Ridley’s first ocean expedition, when he became the youngest — and only the third — American to row across the Atlantic Ocean solo and unsupported.
Follow Ridley’s latest adventure through the rowers’ blog on , , and .