II Magnetic Update
Lat: N 78° 51.726′
Lng: W 103° 29.879′
Time: 20:30 Local Time (GMT -0500)

II Magnetic held the first place position for this leg for 4 hours today, overtaking Team Refuge for the period. They too have finally cleared the rubble fields and expect to make considerably more progress tomorrow.

Note: The purple balloon on the above map represents Raymond’s Team II Magnetic.

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The following message was sent from Raymond while he was at Checkpoint 2 of the Polar Race…

Hello, from Checkpoint 2!

This is billed as “probably the world’s toughest race”. Well, it is! Even worse, it most certainly is the world’s coldest race.

Cold Damage

I have so far lost most of the sensation in the tips of all ten fingers.
They will heal in a few months. I over-heated one warm -20 degree day and foolishly took off my head mask, leaving my entire face unprotected.
Then a chilling west wind picked up suddenly, blowing directly at my left ear as we raced northward. The temperature dropped to -35 and with wind chill it was much worse. When we made camp that night I realised that my left ear had swollen badly, was frost-bitten and sub-burnt. (The sun is always behind us and I had not put sun protection lotion on the back of my ears.) Imagine my confused left ear – forst-bitten by the cold of the wind and sunburnt from the heat of the sun! The swelling has thankfully already subsided and the scab will eventually heal and fall off.
And, just to round out the story, I have a smattering of frost-nip on my upper lip, cheeks and nose. Nothing serious, just warnings to be cautious.
Also, all areas once damaged by cold are now susceptible to even more severe damage.

Polar Bear Attack

And while I’m listing all the bad news, I may as well mention the “POLAR BEAR ATTACK” . In the middle of the night, as Roddy and I were sleeping, a Polar Bear came right up to our tent and thankfully got more curious about my sled than our tent. He walked to my sled an UNZIPPED the sled bag. Note: he did not rip it open with his powerful teeth or claws. He very properly and elegantly unzippered the sled bags. He chose one item inside that particularly interested him and played with it. Eventually, losing interest, he abandoned the bag about 20 feet from our tent and plodded off into the night. We were mere feet from a giant carnivore, and slept through the whole experience.

The Race

There are 6 teams in the race. I am the weakest member of my team. My partner Roddy is much younger, much stronger and much faster. So our
team, II Magnetic, moves at my pace. I am much slower than 4 teams whose average ages are roughly half my
age. And I am faster than my 62-year-old friend Jan Meek of the team Carpe Diem. So we should finish 5th .
Due to some really hard skiing on my part, and some brilliant navigation by Roddy,and loads of luck, our team completed Leg One in 3rd place.
We beat the Blue Tits,a two girl team. They are best friends, work well together,are really fit and aged 27.
We also beat Brass Monkeys a team headed by a 6 foot tall muscle-bound 40 year-old super-strong firefighter.
When we crossed the finish line of leg one, and I was told we came in third, I broke into tears and could not stop crying. All the emotion
built up over the 5 days of racing northward in the desolate High Arctic got suddenly released as I crossed that finish line and knew I could rest for 2 days. We are now at Checkpoint 2 at the end of Leg 2. We are now in 5th place.
There is some great news though. The 65 miles of Leg 1 took me 5 days, the 130 miles of Leg 2 took me only 7 days.
I started at almost 10 nautical miles of progress a day and I have consistently improved up to 14 nautical miles a day.
Unfortunately, waking up on the morning of the 7th day of leg 2, we had 17.3 miles to go. That’s too far for me to go in one day, yet it is too wimpy to camp just a few miles from the checkpoint. So I put in one of the longest hardest days of my life and completed 17.3 nautical miles in one day, hauling a sled that weighs about 100 pounds.

Leg 3

This leg is 75 miles long. Our goal is that I race 15 miles per day and complete the leg in 5 days. Considering Leg one is 65 miles long and took
me 5 days, this upcoming leg will be yet another challenge.

My Condition

Except for the litany of cold injuries,I am in superb shape. Not one of my joints hurts. Not one muscle aches. I am rested and ready for the challenge of Leg 3.

Typical Day

We rise at 5am.
We are racing by 7:30am
We take 8-minute breaks every 2 hours or so otherwise we race non-stop for 10-11 hours every day.
We stop around 6pm.
We make camp, eat and fall fast asleep by about 9:30pm.

Dryness

The High Arctic air is so dry that it is officially designated a “desert”. My skin has dried so much that the skin on the tip of my right thumb eroded, leaving a cut almost a half-inch long. The cure is even more amazing – CRAZY GLUE. I applied it to the open cut and it worked perfectly.

That’s my report from Checkpoint 2.

Love,

Raymond

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

II Magnetic Update
Lat: N 77° 03.768′
Lng: W 100° 38.100′
Time: 20:30 Local Time (GMT -0500)

II Magnetic covered a distance of ~12Nm (~22km) today, once again faced with rubble fields and deep powder snow.

Note: The purple balloon on the above map represents Raymond’s Team II Magnetic.

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

Polar Race Update

And they’re off!

Precisely at 10:20 the 3rd Leg of the 2007 Polar Race for the Wedgwood Blue Ice Trophy started. 75 miles from Cator Harbour to a waypoint about 4 miles off the coast of King Christian Island.
All in good spirits and with little broken on the last and longest leg the teams could sense they were on the “home” stretch. I expect competition to be close.

As this leg is mostly out of sight of land there are no geographical points to navigate by (apart from hopefully the sun) I am cheered to know that they are all now proficient in use of GPS (Global Positioning System) which allows the bearer to locate his/her position anywhere in the world.

Since 2000 when we undertook the “Footsteps of Shackleton” expedition in South Georgia we have always used the basic Garmin etrex GPS unit.
Simple and efficient without any “bells and whistles” it has a long battery life and is easily handled and operated by all even when using it with thick gloves – especially important in the Polar Regions!
I have won many yacht races with another Garmin model so you can say that I am quite a supporter so there was never any debate when we started buying nav aids.

- Don’t forget you can see the progress of the racers at:

www.polarrace.com/2007/map/

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

II Magnetic Update
Lat: N 75° 23.152′
Lng: W 096° 56.128′
Time: 22 April – 17:05:05 Local Time (GMT -0500)

Fifth Position
II Magnetic have arrived at checkpoint 2 fifth, however retain fourth position overall. They increased their speed by 1.5Nm/day this leg and will need to keep it up as the Brass Monkeys are hot on their tail – less than 20 minutes separate them!

Leg Two Statistics for II Magnetic
Min Distance Covered*: 99.78Nm
Time Taken: 6days 8hrs 40mins 5secs
Min Average Speed*: 15.7Nm/day

* NB Our positions are taken as straight lines between daily contacts with the racers and as such this represents the minimum value for these statistics

Polar Race Update

Apologies if you have missed out on my musings but for the last 2 days I have been “hors d’combat” suffering from something pretty vile which had me “erupting” from all parts.

The show must go on however so while I lay abed the others just got on as if nothing had happened, a great bunch of guys.

I swear Rob Sleep can read my mind!
I am always glad I took him up on his offer he really is a man of many talents.

I might add at this point it was a bug since no alcohol is available to buy in Resolute. I just hope no else picks it up as I would wish it on no one!

Nack to the Race, five of our six teams have arrived at Checkpoint Two, with the last due in lunchtime tomorrow. Second in to CP 2 having lead most of the way was Team Polar Horizon. Knowing the individuals concerned, I suspect this is the spur needed to make them pullout all stops.

In the first leg they were hampered by poor tactics. In this terrain it pays to know when to get off skis and to walk. When they got in to Checkpoint 1 having broken 7 bindings while everyone else had broken only 2 in total (and one of those due to an over inquisitive polar
bear) I think the penny dropped and they have been much faster since.

The team is lead by banker Alex Henney who was so determined to do the race that he had remedial surgery done on his knee. Emlyn Evans of Squab Storage fame and overnight a hero in Wales is the “quiet one” of the bunch. While giant banker John barker is very much the meat in the middle but with that size of meat it makes for a very big sandwich!
I suspect their day is still to come as determination is not short in supply and they hate to be beaten.

Jock Wishart

- Don’t forget you can see the progress of the racers at:
www.polarrace.com/2007/map/

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

II Magnetic Update
Lat: N 76° 40.548′
Lng: W 098° 24.841′
Time: 20:30 Local Time (GMT -0500)

II Magnetic had another good day today covering just over 14Nm (~26km) and have every intention of reaching Chackpoint 2 late tomorrow afternoon.

Note: The purple balloon on the above map represents Raymond’s Team II Magnetic.

Polar Race Update

Written on behalf of Jock by Chris

Finally the weather is in our favour and we safely landed the
Checkpoint Crew, after having a clear weather report for our teams in
the area.
Today our troubles were actually being able to get a plane to take
the crew up there as the weather had meant many flights backing up.
This was all sorted out and the crew flew this afternoon.

Two Teams had reached the Checkpoint and helped clear a runway for the plane. The first place spot remains with Team Refuge after they made a 2am start this morning to arrive at checkpoint a few hours
before Polar Horizon – who came in second.

The other Teams checked in safely this evening and most believe
themselves to be within a day’s march of Checkpoint Two, we hope the
weather remains clear for them.

Meanwhile back at Camp, Jock has been stricken with a “24-hour ‘flu”
that we have heard is circulating the small community at the moment
and has spent the day bedridden. We wish him good health and a swift
recovery. Some thoeries involve Jock’s cooking in the cause of this
bout of illness, but we have no concrete evidnece to back this up.

- Don’t forget you can see the progress of the racers at:
www.polarrace.com/2007/map/

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

The weather where we need to touch down to set up Checkpoint Two is unfortunately still being prohibitive.

The weather here in Resolute is fine again, but we have been in contact with our racers during the day and they confirm that the weather further north from them is not suitable for landing a plane.

Therefore our checkpoint crew will have to be delayed again.

As before we are at the mercy of the weather, but that is the way of things here.

Still, the racers are well prepared for the eventuality that they arrive before we set up Checkpoint and understand that the weather plays a big part in the timing. However the racers are focused on the race as the gaps between teams gets smaller. Be sure to check on their progress on our map.

Back at Race Control the Checkpoint Crew are itching to get away but will have to wait for now.

Also we have added some new videos and photos to the gallery section of the website, so please take a look at:

www.polarrace.com/gallery/

- Don’t forget you can see the progress of the racers at:

www.polarrace.com/2007/map/

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

II Magnetic
Lat: N 76° 03.747′
Lng: W 097° 23.399′
Time: 20:30 Local Time (GMT -0500)

II Magnetic moved 12.7Nm (23.5km) today, however they are obliged to keep to the beach on this stretch so they likely covered a lot more ground than this.

Note: The purple balloon on the above map represents Raymond’s Team II Magnetic.

Polar Race Update

Brilliant weather in Resolute!
Brilliant weather for the racers!

But we could not land the Checkpoint team in Cator Harbour, north of Bathurst Island and site of our 2nd checkpoint because of fog. A point we made clear to our racers who now understand just how variable the weather is and also how localised it can be.

Frustrating however for us in Resolute.

At this time I always like to run “Jock’s rule” over the teams.

Team Refuge are currently lying 2nd in the Race but there is only yards in it. It is made up of two old friends Jake Morland and James Turner.

Jake has an effervescent personality but is cool in a crisis as befits his job working for the UN in Baghdad. He is a very likable lad (as is his partner James) but underneath that calm exterior lurks a steely determination.

James is quieter and the perfect foil to Jake. More laid back he is a teacher in London. Most importantly he is the one that organises Jake and keeps him in check.

They are a formidable combination.

Back in Resolute Jeremy Clarkson has arrived. All of us have different theories as how the car will go as it attempts to get to the Magnetic Pole we certified back in 1996.
It has become a popular place.
Thank goodness we lugged that magnetometer all that way to take the measurements!!

- Don’t forget you can see the progress of the racers at:
www.polarrace.com/2007/map/

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

II Magnetic Update
Lat: N 75° ‘
Lng: W 097° ‘
Time: 21:00 Local Time (GMT -0500)

II Magnetic have had another good day today, and we spoke to both Roddy and Raymond this evening confirming that the pair of them are in good spirits and health, settling down having covered 13.8Nm (25.6km) over hard terrain today.

Note: The purple balloon on the above map represents Raymond’s Team II Magnetic.

Polar Race Update

Not seeing a bear was the exception rather than the rule as competitors moved further north passing across a major migratory route which runs through Polar Bear Pass on Bathurst Island.

They are magnificent creatures and the local conservation policy has meant, perhaps contrary to perceived opinion, that there has been a substantial increase in numbers in the area. Our racers however have taken this in their stride and have got used to scaring them away.
For the most part the bears are only curious and as long as the correct techniques are followed and a careful watch is kept we hope that all will be well.

They certainly have been helped thoroughly in their training by Met Policeman Casper Hays, a previous competitor in the race who has a meticulous attention to detail.
His personal experience has given them all great confidence in dealing with likely encounters and we are very glad to have him on the team.

Out on the course the competitors had probably their best day hot
(-17°C) and no wind! All made good mileage despite having to struggle through a large rubble field.

Meanwhile back at Race Control, the Checkpoint Crew have been busy preparing all the fuel and food for themselves and to resupply the racers out at Checkpoint 2.

- Don’t forget you can see the progress of the racers at:
www.polarrace.com/2007/map/

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.

II Magnetic Update
Lat: N 75° 36.581′
Lng: W 097° 05.909′
Time: 20:30 Local Time (GMT -0500)

II Magnetic covered 13.8Nm (25.4km) their Second best day so far. Obviously the rest at Checkpoint One has spurred them on!

Note: The purple balloon on the above map represents Raymond’s Team II Magnetic.

Polar Race Update

Leg 2 of the Polar Race 2007 started today at 08.25 with all the teams setting out together on their way to CP2, north of Bathurst Island some 130 miles away:- the longest and hardest leg of the Race.

When they rang in tonight all were in good spirits having absolutely stormed along with 4 teams (if they knew it) camped only a few hundred yards apart but out of sight of each other in the rubble.

The only serious mishap that has occurred so far actually happened yesterday afternoon at the Checkpoint when one of the teams made the foolish mistake of attempting to fill their fuel bottles in their tent while the stove was on and burnt a hole in their tent!

The Checkpoint Crew were airlifted back to Resolute from the Polaris Mine this afternoon. They sure were happy to get back to real food and a warm bed tonight! There’s only three days before they leave again for Checkpoint 2, so they will be relishing every minute!

- Don’t forget you can see the progress of the racers at:
www.polarrace.com/2007/map/

You may make whatever comments you wish by simply clicking on the “comments” link below.