ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
Now to a race against time and ice. Matt Rutherford is sailing in the Arctic Circle, attempting what no one has ever accomplished before, circumnavigating the 10,000-nautical-mile route alone. His journey takes him across the North Atlantic, along the Russian Arctic coast and eventually through the Northwest Passage in Canada.
We managed to get in touch with Rutherford via his Starlink satellite internet connection. He was in the Barents Sea, hours away from crossing into Russian-controlled waters, and he described a calm but eerie seascape.
OCEAN RESEARCH PROJECT MATT RUTHERFORD: Well, I'm probably a good hundred miles from land in any direction. I am north of Russia, Western Russia, a considerable way. So when you look out, it's just waves as far as the eye can see, and it's gray skies, a little bit foggy, typical Arctic weather.
SCHMITZ: (Laughter) Typical arctic weather. So I understand, you know, you've set out to be the first person to do this journey, solo. And, you know, solo is key here, I think, to understanding the stakes. Describe what it means to be doing this alone.
RUTHERFORD: The Arctic Ocean is quite different than typical open-ocean single-handed sailing, and that is because of the ice. Now, there are parts of the Arctic that are ice-free, obviously in the summertime. But when you get into places like the Northwest Passage, you know, above Canada or the northern sea route above Russia, anywhere near Greenland, it's just - becomes extremely difficult to get any sleep because if you hit the ice, you - you know, you essentially die. I mean, it's - you know, the Titanic was made of steel, but it didn't help it out very much.
It's also going to get dark soon. You know, I got 24-hour daylight now. How do you see the ice in the dark? I mean, I got a radar, but the radar is not very good at picking up small objects like ice the size of a Cadillac Escalade. You got to have discipline. If you're sleeping 20 minutes at a time, it can get really difficult to deal with the sleep deprivation.
SCHMITZ: So what's the plan, for example, if something happens to go wrong?
RUTHERFORD: Well, it depends, and going wrong could be a lot of different things. In general, I mean, I have a brand new life raft. I mean, I guess if the boat were to sink, I could get in the life raft. But if the ice is so bad that it sinks the ship, you know, like pack ice, it's just going to destroy the life raft. So if it's going to be a storm, stay away from the ice, heave to or just hang out a safe distance.
SCHMITZ: Matt, what exactly is driving you to do this?
RUTHERFORD: Well, I love exploration. You know, it's not the first time I've done a big, crazy, single-handed trip. Fifteen years ago, I spent 309 days alone in the ocean sailing around North and South America, and nobody has ever done that before. But I started a ocean research nonprofit when I got back from that trip, so I've been to the Arctic a lot.
But normally, I'm running a research schooner, and we're studying glaciers in Greenland. And this year because there's no funding - the government cut 88% of polar research funding last year - I'm doing a little side trip because I have some time. Normally, we're busy doing research. But, you know, if there's no funding, I might as well have a little fun and do a little single-handed trip.
SCHMITZ: And, of course, climate is a key part of this story, right? I mean, since your journey would not be possible were it not for human-caused climate change. You know, talk a little bit about that.
RUTHERFORD: Yeah, so we're having one of the lowest ice years in history this year, which is no surprise. Last year was also at a very low ice year. Although it's not everywhere. The ice above Alaska is the worst it's been in 20 years, and same with Eastern Siberia. But in general, the polar ice cap has decreased in size about 30- to 35%.
But like I said, it's not everywhere. I mean, there's still going to be some really heavy ice I have to deal with down the road that could make or break the trip. I mean, I'm not guaranteeing that I'm going to be able to pull this off. I'm just going to give it my best and see what happens.
SCHMITZ: So, you know, part of the reason we're talking to you now is because you're planning to soon cross into waters that are controlled by the Russian government. You will then lose the ability to communicate back to the States, right?
RUTHERFORD: Yeah, exactly. February 1, Starlink was cut off above Russia. I think it had something to do with the Ukrainian war. I don't know what's going to happen 'cause there's nobody I can talk to. There's nobody I can call and be like, hey, how's the Starlink up there? You know, it just...
SCHMITZ: Right.
RUTHERFORD: So yeah, more than likely, I'm going to go kind of radio silent for a while. I have iridium-based (ph) communication systems for getting weather forecasts, but they're super primitive. But it will work for weather forecasts, and I can get some ice information. And that's really all I need at the end of the day. You know, is there a storm coming, and what's the ice doing? Everything else is just sort of extra, you know?
SCHMITZ: And I understand you have to check in with the Russians when you're in their waters, is that correct?
RUTHERFORD: Yeah, the northern sea route - which is the majority of the north coast of Russia, the Arctic coast of Russia - is highly restricted. So you have to get a special permit that takes months to get. You also have to check in with Moscow every 24 hours along with before you get in, when you leave. And if I get within 12 miles of any land, I also have to check in with the FSB on top of the Northern Sea Route Association. So yeah, you better believe I'm going to be doing that on time, 12 o'clock every day 'cause I don't want to ruffle any feathers.
SCHMITZ: How does that work? So you have to check in with Moscow, but you also have to check in with Russia's intelligence service.
RUTHERFORD: Yeah, exactly. And it's different processes, different emails, different departments. So, you know, with this ridium communication, even if I lose Starlink, which I'm sure I will for at least parts of it, I can still send emails through this very basic system. And that's it, man. You just - you better check in when you say because they're watching you. I have AIS, which transmits my signal, so they can see where I am.
And the best thing to do is play by the rules. Obviously, I don't want to create any problems. That's my plan here, is - and hopefully, nothing happens. I don't know what's going to happen. But look, this wouldn't be an adventure if we knew the ending.
SCHMITZ: That is Captain Matt Rutherford, founder of the Ocean Research Project. Matt, thank you and smooth sailing, my friend.
RUTHERFORD: Thank you very much. Great to talk to you.
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