Preview: Why Attempt the Northwest Passage? One Woman’s Inspiration and Goals

Growing up on the BC coast inspired my love of the ocean

I’ve been fascinated with the ocean ever since I was a toddler playing in tide pools in British Columbia.  Really I was fascinated with the whole outdoor world: the cedar trees I climbed, the eagles that nested near our house, the deer our dog would chase.  But the ocean was special.  I’d spend hours snorkeling over starfish and anemons and forget I was shivering with cold.  When gales blew into the bay I’d stare out the window at the white-crested waves.  And once I had learned to sail I was lost.  I think it took me about a day to realize that if I sailed far enough, all the land would disappear and there would only be ocean as far as I could see.  From the time I was eight years old, there was nothing I wanted to do more.

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10 Responses So Far to “Why Attempt the Northwest Passage? One Woman’s Inspiration and Goals”

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    Carolyn Harrington says:

    How cool is that?I will follow your incredible journey!

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      Ellen Massey Leonard says:

      Thanks Carolyn! We’re definitely excited!

      I hope to post more on Off Center Harbor, but you can follow our blog http://www.GoneFloatabout.com really easily by entering your email address in the side-bar!

      Cheers,
      Ellen

  • David Tew

    David Tew says:

    You’re in good company following in the tradition of Amundsen. He couldn’t have succeeded without his brother/partner. Roald’s ‘training’ along the NW Passage route and wintering over prepared him for the dash to the South Pole. Details covered in depth here: http://www.amazon.com/Place-Earth-Modern-Library-Exploration/dp/0375754741

    During the same era, other partner/brothers accomplished much. The Herreshoff and Wright brothers for example.

    Depend on each other and you’ll go far in all the ways you want. Thanks for the blog link.

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      Ellen Massey Leonard says:

      Thanks very much, David! Roald Amundsen was incredible, and I agree he couldn’t have succeeded without his brother. There’s a great biography of Amundsen out recently called The Last Viking–I hadn’t known much about his life after the South Pole, which was almost equally interesting.

      Seth and I absolutely do depend on each other, especially on these voyages–some people go it alone, and that’s amazing, but a partnership like this is for me the way to go :)

      Hope you enjoy the Gone Floatabout blog!

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    Colin Sarsfield says:

    Can’t wait to hear about your adventure as it unfolds. The NW passage does have an undeniable draw. May the winds, ice and Celeste all be kind to you!

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      Ellen Massey Leonard says:

      Thanks, Colin! I hope they will all take good care of us (and we will try to take our best care of Celeste!)

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    Livio Muench says:

    What an adventure! Loved your last post and look forward to future posts. Wishing you both fair winds and bright stars. Livio