Sumara of Weymouth

2nd January 2026

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Most of my sailing voyages are just for fun and perhaps a lust for a little bit of adventure. Some sections of my trips haven’t ended up being fun, but they have certainly always been an adventure.

This year will be my forth, and indeed my last, attempt to reach Scoresby Sund. The expedition from Walton on the Naze to Greenland and back to Scotland is about 3,500 nm of which around 700 nm were completed in 2025, so just another 2,800 nm to go.

I am very keen to get there in 2026 for several reasons:

1. Neither myself or Sumara are getting any younger!
2. I have a feeling the weather conditions are getting stormier.
3. Regulations are getting stricter.
4. I’m quite keen to get there before Trump does.
5. I still haven’t seen a narwhal or a beluga whale.
6. The icing on the cake – there will be a total eclipse in Scoresby Sund on 12th August 2026!

My other attempts were:

1. In 2011 we hoped to sail there after sailing to Jan Mayen and climbing Beerenberg. We were far to early in the year and the whole area was somewhat predictably blocked by ice. We tried to get to Greenland further south but more ice, thick fog and an impending storm meant a quick retreat to Iceland.
2. In 2019 I joined Will Stirling to sail there in his fine boat “Integrity” but again there was too much ice so we cruised the Greenland coast further south.
3. In 2022 I made yet another attempt in Sumara. We waited on the North coast of Iceland for the ice to clear but the weather didn’t play fair and so we eventually retreated to Scotland
4. 2026 – Will this be the year?
   

Obviously I would like this latest attempt to be fun and a grand adventure but perhaps it could also have a bit more purpose.

I was thinking it would be good to keep a more detailed log, adding regular sea and air temperatures and ice conditions. We could log all our wildlife sightings. There are organisations who like to receive photos of whales with dates and positions, so maybe we can do that.

I would like to do more sketching. I say that every year but rarely do any.

We could try to survey some anchorages. Maybe I will buy a portable echo sounder for the dinghy if it isn’t adding too much complexity – something I am desperately trying to avoid. Maybe swinging a lead line will be more fun.

Perhaps we can explore other “Citizen Science” projects that we may be able to help. We won’t be able to carry any fancy equipment as we will not have any spare space or power to operate anything electronic. However, we could perhaps collect test tube size samples of sea water without too much trouble.

I watched an OCC Webinar the other day which mentioned various science organisations which I jotted down as possible contacts. I haven’t explored any of them yet:

Yachts for Science
Sea Keepers
Plankton Planet
Free-range Ocean
Citizen Science
Ocean Roamer
Free Ranger

It would also be good to write up about the journey in a more organised way than usual. It could be a useful document for others thinking of making a similar voyage. Maybe something like Peter Owens write up of his Scoresby Sund expedition

It would be nice to shout out about how small and simple boats can still make notable trips – assuming we succeed!

And if we do successfully complete the expedition there will of course be a party and it will be a big one!