Solo expedition to the high arctic.
An ArcticQuest 1831 news item
Written by Adrian Wibrew (project manager)
- 1 April 2003
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Dom Mee Royal Marine reservist and adventurer who recently featured in the BBC1 Extreme Lives series following his gruelling row of the North Pacific will announce his intention to venture out into the Northwest Passage in the high arctic in a folding Klepper kayak just 17ft long. Arctic Quest 1831 expedition will set out to follow in the footsteps of Sir John Ross’s ill-fated expedition of 1829.
In August this year Dom’s epic challenge will start from the small Inuit settlement of Gjoa Haven located on King William Island, Nunavut in the high Arctic. This particular area of the Northwest Passage has been described as the M25 for Polar bears! Aside from the constant threat of polar bear attacks Dom and his Klepper kayak will need to contend with icebergs, which could easy crush him and his small vessel.
Dom will be totally unsupported taking all provisions including his camera on board and go it alone in the arctic wilderness enduring freezing temperatures for around sixty days. Dom’s voyage will finish at Pond Inlet on Baffin Island after paddling some 900 nautical miles. Confident that the filming opportunity will be second to none Dom will be filming throughout the voyage in the hope of making his second documentary.
The expedition will also provide the platform for Dom to test equipment for - The Quest - his unique unsupported sail around the world. The Quest scheduled for 2005 will be the first solo sail in history to circumnavigate the globe non-stop via the two Polar Regions in a 28ft yacht.
Expedition Sponsor Simon Jones Managing Director of IDS International Ltd added; “The historic epitome of the British maritime tradition is exemplified in the true spirit of adventure that is the essence of Arctic Quest 1831. In turn my company and I are proud to be associated with Dom Mee and his maritime expeditions”.