A Passage Through Ice

Morgan Peissel, Nicolas Peissel, and Edvin Buregren stood on the ice in the McClure Strait in front of their sailboat, the Belzebub II.

Morgan Peissel

The crew saw polar bears and narwhals as they navigated the icy waters at the top of the world.

Morgan Peissel

The three men crewing the Belzebub II were the first sailors known to have sailed the Northwest Passage via the McClure Straight.

Morgan Peissel

Only a handful of other ships have ever been through the McClure, and none of them went on to make the Northwest Passage.

Morgan Peissel

The crew's 31-foot fiberglass boat made it through the strait when the pack ice shifted during a 36-hour window.

A Passage Through Ice

By the time the sailors made it through, the pack ice had already closed up behind them.