San Francisco Chronicle | October 19, 2019
Oakland Sailor Completes 13-Month Odyssey
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Randall Reeves was exhausted. The Oakland resident had been hand-steering his 45-foot aluminum sailboat through the perilous Northwest Passage for several days, dodging icebergs and trying to stay alert on three hours of sleep a day.
It was August, a time in the Canadian Arctic when the sun never quite sets. Mythologized in maritime lore, the elusive passage stymied and killed off European explorers for centuries before it was pioneered in the early 1900s. In the era of climate change, Arctic pack ice melts enough during summer months to temporarily open shipping lanes for freighters and cruise ships. Pushing a sailboat through would be no small feat.
At one point, the ice parted and open blue water extended to the horizon — maybe 15-20 minutes of smooth sailing, Reeves figured. The 57-year-old, a cautious and pragmatic sailor, ducked below deck for a quick catnap. He set his alarm for 5 minutes. During the fourth minute, his bow struck an ice block, stopping the vessel cold.
